… no division among us, says Morka

By Omeiza Ajayi, Abuja

National Vice Chairman, Northwest, of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Salihu Lukman, has written governors of the party on the need to guard against injustice in deciding who becomes the next National Chairman of the party.

Lukman’s position was contained in a letter addressed to the Imo State Governor and Chairman, Progressive Governors’ Forum, PGF, which was obtained by Vanguard.

In the letter dated July 21, Lukman said the APC Governors should serve as the conscience of the party.

He said; “It is quite troubling that Progressive Governors Forum, PGF, under Your Excellency’s leadership is being reported to have decided on adopting Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje to become the next National Chairman of APC.

“While it is within the right of Progressive Governors, being a very critical power bloc within the APC, to endorse any candidate for the position of National Chairman, to make such decision public in whatever manner is unfair to both President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and other leaders of the party who are not members of PGF.

“It is even unfair to Dr. Ganduje who is being endorsed.”

Lukman recalled how he had served the PGF between August 2013 and February 2022 as its Director General, noting that he is fully conversant with the conventional approach towards managing consultations between the PGF and the party.

He said whenever the PGF is privileged to reach an agreement with the President, being the party leader, on matters affecting the party, the forum takes necessary steps to first meet with the National Working Committee NWC or at least, the National Chairman.

“Where such decisions require pronouncement by organs of the party, PGF uses its influence within the party to negotiate the buy-in of members of the relevant organs. That has been the tradition,” he stated.

Lukman added that as a member of the NWC, he felt highly slighted to have read of Ganduje’s endorsement in the media.

He said; “As a member of NWC, I feel highly slighted that I am only encountering such endorsement in the media.

“Coming shortly after the resignation of Senator Abdullahi Adamu and Senator lyiola Omisore as National Chairman and National Secretary, respectively, who were accused of undermining organs of the party, it raises questions as to whether PGF under your leadership share the commitment to restore constitutional order in APC and return the party to its founding vision.

“Given the implication of such endorsement in terms of being unjust and unfair to the North Central region and given that the position of the National Chairman is zoned to North Central based on which zoning for leadership of National Assembly was decided, it simply suggests that the PGF has deviated from its traditional role of acting as the conscience of the party.

“If PGF is to act as the conscience of the party, even if assuming as it is being promoted in the public that the endorsement is coming from President Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the PGF I know would have taken every step to convince the President otherwise and if the President insisted, they would have shielded the President by owning the decision.

“But to handle the endorsement in the way it appears in the public is unfair to President Asiwaju Tinubu and unfair to Dr. Ganduje who is being alleged to have put so much pressure on the President, which is not true.

“I want to strongly appeal to Your Excellency, as the PGF Chairman to kindly return PGF to its conventional role of acting as the conscience of the party by ensuring that the party always takes the right decisions, which will protect the interest of every member, every region and all interest.

“The PGF under Your Excellency’s leadership must not be seen to be promoting or condoning decisions that are liable to acts of injustice and unfairness to any member, section of the country or interest,” Lukman said in the letter he copied to President Tinubu, NWC members and Dr Ganduje.

No infighting in NWC

However, apparently reacting to the controversies that have trailed Ganduje’s purported endorsement by the governors, National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, said party leaders are well within their rights to speak in their personal capacities, but that the NWC is not divided.

He said; “Recent events in the All Progressives Congress (APC), notably, the resignation of the National Chairman and National Secretary has led some to suggest that the Party is in some kind of crisis.

“Incipient conversations and rumors regarding their possible successors have equally fueled false narratives of deepening crisis in the Party.

“Quite to the contrary, there is no crisis in the Party. APC stands as one strong, dynamic, resilient and progressive Party. The resignations under reference only show the high level of institutional maturity and quality of its leadership that place the best interest of the Party first and above personal egos and ambitions.

“The rapid and seamless succession, in acting capacities, to both offices exemplifies the cogency of its constitutional processes.

“Trending reports in sections of the media suggesting disharmony among members of National Working Committee (NWC) or between the NWC and other critical sections of the Party’s leadership around possible successor to the office of National Chairman are purely speculative.

“All sections of the Party’s college of leadership stand united in quest for a more progressive Party.

“While individual Party leaders and members retain their right to express their personal thoughts and opinions, they do not represent the official position of the NWC or the Party.

“Official position of the NWC on the subject of succession to any vacant offices of the NWC or any other subject will be communicated via the official channels of the NWC.”