Adamu against APC zoning formula for n’assembly leadership, says Lukman

Salihu Lukman, vice-chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the north-west, says Abdullahi Adamu, national chairman of the party, is behaving like a “factional leader”.

In a statement on Wednesday, Lukman accused the party chairman of not working for the success of those nominated by the APC as presiding officers in the 10th national assembly.

The ruling party chose Godswill Akpabio, a former minister of Niger Delta affairs, and Barau Jibrin, senator representing Kano north, as president of the senate and deputy respectively.

APC also nominated Tajudeen Abbas, lawmaker from Kaduna, and Benjamin Kalu, lawmaker from Imo, as speaker of the house of representatives and deputy respectively.

Some members of the party seeking these positions have protested against the arrangement.

The vice-chairman said Adamu appears to desire a repeat of the 2015 scenario, when Bukola Saraki, a former governor of Kwara, defied the APC and emerged senate president.

“As if those consultations were not designed to produce agreements, once the NWC approved the recommendation for zoning the leadership of the 10th national assembly, Sen. Abdullahi Adamu, instead of acting as the national chairman, facilitating implementation of decisions of organs of the party, he is acting as a factional leader opposing the decision of the NWC,” he said.

“Instead of working for the success of the decision of the NWC through activating meetings of higher organs of the party to confer more legitimacy to the decision of the NWC, he seems to be more interested in ensuring that the 2015 model of rebellious leadership emerges in the 10th national assembly,” he added.

Lukman said APC has not managed its victory from 2015 very well.

“All these negatively affect the electoral viability of the APC. If the truth must be said, as a party, we didn’t manage electoral victory very well,” he said.

“Since 2015, after winning the presidential elections, we allowed many PDP appointees to remain in the service of the federal government, including Mr. Godwin Emefiele who was inherited as CBN governor.”