By Omeiza Ajayi
Former National Vice Chairman, Northwest, of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Salihu Moh. Lukman has called on former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Babangida as well as retired General Aliyu Gusau to innovate strategies that could displace the APC from power in 2027, saying Nigerians are currently facing an existential crisis because the nation’s democracy is in the Intensive Care Unit ICU.
Lukman in a statement issued Tuesday in Abuja was reacting to media reports of Sunday’s meeting of the trio in Minna, Niger state.
Recalling how on August 13, 2024, the National Council of State had met and passed a vote of confidence on President Bola Tinubu, Lukman said the absence of Obasanjo and Babangida may not have been a coincidence and wondered whether Sunday’s meeting in Minna suggests registering any form of disagreement with the confidence vote passed on Tinubu on August 13.
He said although Obasanjo and Babangida’s interventions in the polity may have in one way or the other contributed to getting Nigeria to its current messy situation, they owe it a duty to Nigerians to bring back the country from the ICU.
“For instance, the political practices that are responsible for the erosion of political competition in political parties in Nigeria could be traceable to the tenure of former President Obasanjo. The policy of Structural Adjustment Programme (SAP) under former Military President Babangida could have been the source of inspiration for President Asiwaju Tinubu’s impulsive and unplanned policies. Although, to be fair to former Military President Babangida, to use Chidi Amuta’s words he ‘balanced compassion and hard policy choices.’
“To the extent of contributing to get Nigeria to the current messy situation, these leaders owe a responsibility to the nation to take it out of the ICU. Getting Nigerian democracy out of ICU is a function of ability to revive, restore and strengthen democratic structures in the country, which is dependent on ability to create at least a functional political party that would allow for political competition within its structures and by extension in the country. This should not just be about identifying and promoting a candidate who will emerge as a candidate in any of the registered parties. Once the approach is limited to producing a candidate, the potential of falling in a legal booby trap imposed by the manipulative activities of President Asiwaju Tinubu and APC is high. Part of the legal booby trap is that the potential candidate may be produced by a leadership faction of political party, which will throw the party and the candidate in court cases that will undermine electoral viability.
“The other challenge is that producing a candidate may not guarantee corresponding commitment by elected leaders to honour their campaigns promises and be accountable to Nigerians. For elected leaders to come with corresponding commitment to honour campaign promises and be accountable to Nigerians require the existence of a strong political party whose organs will meet as prescribed by the party’s constitution. Above all, the profile of the leadership of the party should be at the minimum equivalent to the elected leadership of the country. A situation whereby party leadership are below the profile of elected leaders is injurious to Nigerian democracy and will retain it in the ICU.
“Therefore, if former President Obasanjo, former Military President Babangida, former Head of State Abdulsalam and retired General Gusau are truly committed to rescuing Nigerian democracy and get it out of ICU, they should facilitate a deeper engagement of opposition political leaders in the country”, he stated.
Tinubu vs Abacha
Lukman also drew comparison between President Tinubu and late Head of State, General Sani Abacha, declaring that the latter was even more accessible.
“More than anytime in the history of Nigeria, citizens are being impoverished on an alarming scale. Since May 29, 2023 when President Asiwaju took over, it has been a downward slide for Nigerians. Being a democratic government, the expectation would have been that President Tinubu will be more accessible. Alas, he is proving to be the most inaccessible leader of Nigeria. Even late General Sani Abacha was by far more accessible. All previous military governments are turning out to be much more open to consultations and receptive to recommendations from Nigerians than the government of President Asiwaju Tinubu.
“As President of the Federal Republic, President Asiwaju Tinubu is showing his worst side. Some of the key projects of the last government have been abandoned. A good example is Kaduna – Abuja Road, which is becoming a death trap. But without any budgetary provision, a new project of more than N15 trillion Lagos – Calabar Coastal highway started. Meanwhile, public investment towards addressing the challenges of insecurity is at best business-as-usual. And the crisis of insecurity is reduced to ceremonial show of shame and public lamentations by leaders”, he stated.
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