By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
The Director- General (DG) of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), Salihu Moh. Lukman, has called on the leaders and members of the All Progressive Congress (APC), including the sitting President and governors, to make haste and rescue the soul of the ruling party from the chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, alleging he has hawked the soul of APC to political buccaneers.
The PGF DG made the allegations in a statement he issued in Abuja, , while speaking in his capacity as the DG, pointed out that he is not speaking for the PGF, but added that the agenda of the political buccaneers is to continue to win elections unfairly and unjustly.
According him, it is time all lovers of democracy should rise up and defend the abuse of democracy in the ruling party, lamenting the manner through which the current Governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki, was disqualified from the party primaries in the state, subsequently leading to his reported exit from the ruling party to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
According to the PGF DG statement, “It is clear that, APC leadership as currently constituted under the leadership of Comrade Oshiomhole is imprudent and cannot be entrusted with the task of leading the party. Comrade Oshiomhole’s NWC has hawked the soul of the party to political buccaneers whose narrow interest is just about unfairly winning elections. Party members must wake up and face the arduous task of reclaiming the leadership of the party. Such a task must be about ensuring the emergence of honest leadership for the party – a leadership that should be able to allow free application of provisions of the APC constitution.
“For the avoidance of doubt, APC does not belong to anybody. It is a product of sacrifice by leaders and members of our old legacy parties. Nobody should contemplate leaving the party on account of the rascality going on in the party under Comrade Oshiomhole’s leadership. All members of the party and lovers of democracy in Nigeria must rise against what is going on in APC. It is a struggle for the soul of APC!”
“The disconcerting reality of becoming clobbered into another undemocratic political platform, which is intolerant to basic tenets of free and fair contests is hard to admit. We may be in denial on account of perverted loyalty. Anyone with small residue of conscience and integrity must have been jolted by what is going on. It doesn’t matter what our preferences are, every member must be concerned and worried about what is going on. It may be easy to pass judgement on leaders. We must however recognise that the failings or limitations of our leaders are equally ours as members of the party.”
