Coalition talks in final stage- Salihu Lukman

..says PDP govs covertly working for APC ahead 2027

A former National Vice Chairman (North-West) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Hon. Salihu Lukman, has disclosed that talks among key political stakeholders about forming a broad-based coalition were in the final stages, as he lamented that the APC had strayed from its founding progressive ideals.

He alleged that governors elected under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) are covertly working for the ruling APC ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Lukman, who recently exited the APC and joined a coalition of political actors working to form a new political front, made the statement during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Friday.

In response on the same programme, APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, dismissed concerns about the coalition, saying that the ruling party was focused on governance and preparing strategically for 2027.

Lukman lamented that most political parties in Nigeria no longer function as proper institutions, stating that parties that ignore their constitutions, fail to hold regular meetings, and have unaccountable elected officials cannot be considered functional in the classical sense.

He said: “This is the dilemma Nigerians are facing. As a founding member of the APC, I know the inspiration that drove us to form the party, which was basically to correct all the problems the PDP was presenting to the country.

“The basic problem was that at that time the PDP created a situation, where it was imposed at all levels, and internal contest within the party was completely truncated. APC came with the promise of change and these were the things the party wanted to change. In 2014, when we did the primary at all levels, with the presidential primary on December 10, 2014, you would say that there was a fair contest.

“Those who won were those who contested the election on the platform of the APC. But as we moved from 2019 onwards, things began to degenerate. As you can see now, the APC has moved from the party that was envisioned to be a progressive party to almost a party that has become a monarchy because as it is now, the APC mantra is that in 2027 there would be no internal contest.”

He stressed that under the APC, the President, all the governors and all the legislators have been adopted for other terms.