The APC NWC laments that they have been reduced to mere spectators in the selection process for the 10th NASS

As the race for the leadership of the 10th National Assembly intensifies, a member of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Salihu Lukman has, yesterday lamented the laid-back attitude of the party leadership towards the process.  

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He said rather than be its driving force, the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC was now helplessly watching from the sidelines.Lukman, who is the party’s National Vice Chairman, Northwest, disclosed this in a statement issued in Abuja.He said: 

“At a time irrationality has become overbearingly manifest in the politics of the country, no thanks to the so-called Obidient politicians who thrive in peddling lies and falsehood as a strategy to mobilise support, every care should be taken to manage our diversity 

.“It is quite frustrating for many members of the APC NWC that as leaders mandated to provide leadership in managing affairs of the party, we have become onlookers in matters that we should be directing. This must be urgently corrected. 

 “The APC NWC, led by Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, need to become more aggressive in driving the process of negotiating leadership of the 10th National Assembly. “The NWC's relaxed attitude as the party's governing body has led to an embarrassing situation of public disagreement with national leaders over the issue of a consensus presidential candidate ahead of the party's June 2022 presidential primary.  

 It is also responsible for disagreements between some members of the NWC and the party's presidential election council, the PCC, ahead of the 2023 elections. 

 "While noting that aspirations for leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly are only isolated, he said most aspirations were largely unaware of the challenges of national unity.  

He said unfortunately most of those aspiring to leadership positions in the 10th National Assembly are disrespectful to the party and its membership structures, including the NWC. 

 “They show little interest in consulting the NWC as an organization or its members individually. There is also the humiliating perception that it is possible to This should be fixed. "For example, there are people in the Northwest saying they are running for Senate Speaker without the courtesy of consulting us Northwesterners in the NWC. 

 "In so far as I respect all members of the National Assembly elected from the Northwest, I urge those aspiring for the office of President of the Senate to withdraw their aspirations in the general interest of national unity and that they I urge you to ensure that the Asiwaju Tinub government, which will take office on May 29, 2023, will ensure the leadership of the Northwest with an excellent base of support among Nigerians from all regions, regardless of ethnic or religious differences. We will support them," Lukman said. 

 He said part of the challenge facing the party is the practice of the NWC continuing to wrest power from higher party bodies, especially the National Executive Committee, the NEC.  

Lukman said that as long as the NWC continued to govern the party on the strategy of disempowering the NEC, the party's elected representatives would continue to organize rebellions against what could be seen as the party's position. Stated. he said:  

Adopting a broader consultation process would require invoking the NEC and party constitutional provisions for convening national caucuses. This public appeal became necessary given the dynamics of the leadership candidates for the 10th National Assembly. If this goes chaotically, it could throw an unexpected figure into the leadership of the 10th National Assembly. "If allowed to do so, it could have the undesirable effect of destroying the APC's ability to vote in future elections. As the ruling party is tasked with taking over the country's political leadership for the next four years, it must do everything possible to increase the confidence of Nigerians. ”  

Lukman also noted that the party had returned to his 2015 era, with a limited emergence of leaders the party did not support in his NWC. No NEC meeting or national executive meeting was convened. The party's board of trustees was not constituted. Somehow, the Zaraki/Dogara groups in both houses of the Diet were able to defeat the party's NWC-loyal groups. A wide-ranging consultation process involving them took place.