Former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Northwest zone Salihu Lukman, has written to ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo, calling on him to mobilize past Nigerian leaders to establish a formidable political coalition.
In his letter, Lukman expressed concerns over the failure of certain opposition leaders, including three former governors, to unify under a single political platform.
He attributed their reluctance to individual political ambitions, which, according to him, have weakened efforts to create a strong alternative to the APC.
Lukman, who previously served as Director General of the APC’s Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), noted that the disunity among opposition figures has consistently undermined attempts to offer a credible political alternative capable of addressing Nigeria’s deepening socio-political and economic crises.
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Addressing Obasanjo while also referencing other past Nigerian leaders such as General Yakubu Gowon, General Ibrahim Babangida, General Abdulsalami Abubakar, Goodluck Jonathan, and Muhammadu Buhari, Lukman emphasized the collective responsibility of former leaders in shaping the nation’s present challenges.
“Without resorting to blame games, whether today’s leaders of this country are made by Satan or God, all of you put together, individually and collectively, are the parents of today’s Satanic leaders of Nigeria,” Lukman wrote in a strongly-worded critique.
He criticized the historical trend of manipulating political successions, which he described as a recurring issue responsible for exacerbating Nigeria’s governance failures.
According to Lukman, the practice of “anointing successors” has led to the rise of “Satanic leaders” and deepened the country’s problems.
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The APC chieftain called for urgent political re-engineering to create a party capable of producing “Godly” leadership that could effectively address the nation’s challenges.
He urged opposition leaders to rise above personal ambitions and work towards a unified political coalition that prioritizes national interest over individual aspirations.
“Already, some opposition leaders are resisting efforts to form a united political platform largely because of their subsidiary ambitions to contest elections,” Lukman lamented.
“On account of such subsidiary ambitions, some are already playing the old hegemonic games of assembling loyalists or cheerleaders.”
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Lukman went on to highlight the divisive roles played by certain opposition figures, specifically pointing out that three former governors and members of a group linked to one of the legacy parties that merged to form the APC are already drawing up leadership lineups for an “imaginary” party.
“In many states, they have already chosen the so-called governorship candidates. With such an outlook, it logically means they already have their presidential candidate,” Lukman revealed.
He argued that Nigeria’s ability to produce leaders with a “Godly genotype” depends on collective efforts to restructure the nation’s political landscape.