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Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment to Abdullahi Ganduje, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Oliver Okpala, has described the immediate past national vice chairman of North West, Salihu Lukman, of seeking attention and should not be taken seriously.
Reacting to Lukman’s recent criticism of Ganduje, wherein he said: “We removed Abdullahi Adamu, and brought in Ganduje. But Ganduje is just sitting, almost behaving like Adamu. I am sorry, with due respect to him,” Okpalla accused the APC chieftain of mischief and of giving a wrong narrative.
He said: “For him to make such claims about Ganduje means he is indeed mischievous. He is trying to give a wrong narrative about the political superiority and effective leadership which Ganduje has been providing for the party.”
Okpalla said Lukman has always fought every party leadership and should not be taken seriously.
He said Ganduje has been carrying other NWC members along, insisting the APC ship is sailing smoothly.
“How does Lukman know that Ganduje’s leadership is not holding relevant meetings? Must every meeting be splashed on newspapers or social media? Ganduje is not an infantile attention seeker.
“Ganduje is a calculative, strategic and well-composed leader who holds meetings when necessary, not just for meetings sake and when such meetings hold he does not rush to the media except it is of utmost importance.
“For Ganduje, strategy is better than energy. He is not a rabble rouser and would continue to lead the APC with dignity and decorum. Ganduje is not an attention seeker. He is a father to all in the party.
“Lukman’s conduct and utterances have shown who he is. No wonder at the public presentation of his book recently, a former national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, took him to the cleaners and lectured him about the ABC of character in politics.”
Okpala warned Nigeria’s political class against politics of bitterness and bad blood.
“The nation and, indeed, the APC has passed that pedestrian level of political bitterness and antagonistic animalism. Ganduje is a modern political messiah and he stands eminently on the robust platform of decorum, respect and love for the people,” he said.
“Ganduje is a man who has seen it all; he is father to all and that is why the APC national leadership decided to make him the national chairman of the party so that he can be a unifying factor, a stabiliser, who would use his wealth of experience in resolving political differences. He has also begun to greatly impact positively on the fortunes and image of the party in the current dispensation. What he has done since he came on the saddle is to unite and not to divide like Lukman, a professional man in creating confusion.
“Ganduje will not be distracted by the likes of Lukman who has always wanted to destroy the APC even under past administrations.”
He said the APC national chairman is doing well as “his well-known political clout and image have gone before him to create goodwill for the APC.
“The traditional titles recently conferred on him in various parts of the country showed how acceptable he is in the nooks and crannies of Nigeria. Therefore, a political Lilliputian like Lukman cannot speak for the teeming Nigerians, and particularly APC members who have clearly shown their acceptance of Ganduje.”
