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From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The All Progressives Congress (APC) North-West Zonal Chairman, Salihu Moh. Lukman, has enumerated challenges confronting the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, from winning next month’s presidential election.
Lukman, in a statement he issued in Abuja on Sunday, equally dismissed the insinuations in some quarters that he is supporting Obi against the candidate of his party, Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Pushing his argument further, he claimed that besides Obi, other election merchants like Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Rabiu Kwankwaso of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) cannot be what Nigeria needs having changed parties severally for the purpose of election.
The statement titled; ‘Fallacious Politics of 2023’, Lukman described the LP candidate as a, “typical Nigerian politician who is more of an election merchant presenting himself every four years for election, even if it means changing political party.”
“Being an election merchant connote obvious lack of commitment and discipline to be loyal to any political party. This partly explains why Obi moved from All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and now LP between 2015 and now.
“What is the guarantee that his candidature of LP also bears a commitment to develop the LP and get it to overcome all its challenges. Noting that it is a public knowledge that LP has been embroiled in leadership crisis, how is Obi using his campaign to negotiate the resolution of LP crisis. From a distant point of view, Obi is in fact indifferent to the crisis facing LP,” Lukman noted.
Itemising some other factors that will count against him, the former Director-General APC Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) said: “Beyond being indifferent, Obi is clearly alien to any ideological standpoint that can bring him close to the working class, which is the primary constituency of LP. Some of us are privileged to have been intellectually and organically connected to that constituency.
“Part of the reality facing LP had to do with the close shop mentality of labour leaders, which blocked the party from being open to other Nigerians outside the mainstream labour movement. This reality blew open in the face of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, for instance, when in 2007 after serving his eight years term as President of NLC and wanted to win the 2007 governorship election in Edo State, he had to syndicate alliance with Action Congress (AC).
“Interestingly, once he wins the 2007 election, that was the end of the alliance as he moved to AC, while his LP membership became history.
On Atiku and Kwankwaso, he wrote that; “part of what must be recognised in all these debates is that the fallacious politics of 2023 is more about the disappointments of Nigerians with our leaders and the state of the nation. While it is important to recognise the legitimate disappointment of Nigerians with our leaders and the state of the nation, it will remain a fallacy to imagine that a simple choice of a typical election merchant can resolve Nigeria’s challenges.
“Not just Peter Obi, any other politician with the characteristics of changing political parties for the purpose of contesting elections, such a person is not what Nigeria needs today. Without prejudice to my respect for Atiku and Kwankwaso, they are both in the same category with Obi.
“Atiku has been either a presidential candidate or aspirant in every election in different parties since 2007. Kwankwaso has moved from PDP to APC, back to PDP between 2015 and 2019, before finally forming NNPP in 2022 and present himself as the presidential candidate of the party for 2023 election,.
“Before highlighting our reality in APC, it is interesting how activist with some clear ideological orientation can suggest that Obi who within a week of his exit out of PDP and joining LP can inspire any hope of emerging as an accountable President.
“In the case of Atiku, the level of intolerance and mismanagement of internal leadership dispute should frighten every patriotic Nigerian about entrusting the leadership of the country to such a person. Kwankwoso’s politics present him as philosopher king which only revolves around his person and any opposition will not be allowed. ” he noted.
While projecting APC presidential candidate, Lukman wrote: “Out of all the leading candidates, the only one that has never left his party to any party is Bola Tinubu. He is the only one that although he has been a national political leader since he left office as Governor of Lagos State in 2007 that is presenting himself for the first time as a presidential candidate for the 2023 elections.
“It can also be argued that Atiku also won PDP primary. However, the difference between Asiwaju and Atiku is the ability to successful negotiate and win the support of other party leaders who contested against him. Today, all those who contested against Asiwaju in APC are working for his victory.
“One of the crimes of Asiwaju as propagated by the opposition is the so-called failure of APC government at federal level. No doubt, like any other nation, Nigeria is faced with challenges. Do these challenges represent failure? No. Both Asiwaju and the party’s PCC have recognise the progress recorded by APC administration of President Buhari and the challenges facing the country.
“Both Asiwaju and all leaders of APC are never in denial of all the challenges facing the country. In addition, both Asiwaju and all APC leaders have evaluated our performance in government at federal level,” Lukman noted.
