Dr. Salihu Lukman, a former National Vice Chairman, North-West, of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has leveled accusations against the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), claiming they engaged in manipulative politics by dissolving the Rivers State executives across all levels.
Last week, the APC’s NWC announced the dissolution of the party’s Rivers State Executives at every tier and appointed a seven-member Caretaker Committee, led by Chief Tony Okocha, to oversee the party’s affairs in the state for the subsequent six months.
In a statement titled ‘End of Progressive Politics,’ issued on Monday, Lukman implicated President Bola Tinubu and the party’s National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, in fostering what he termed as “Garrison Politics” within the party.
Lukman expressed concerns that this move by the NWC signaled a prelude to the emergence of the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, as the new figurehead within the party.
He recalled an instance where Okocha, purportedly a supporter and political ally of Wike, led a delegation of Wike’s loyalists on a visit to the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, on Thursday, October 6, 2023. During this meeting, allegations were made against Rotimi Amaechi, insinuating that he worked against President Bola Tinubu in the previous election.
Lukman emphasized the widespread understanding, asserting that Amaechi and several other APC Presidential aspirants for the 2023 elections have distanced themselves, primarily due to President Asiwaju Tinubu’s apparent lack of interest in collaborating with them.
He said: “Given all these unfolding developments in APC, it is very clear that the NWC decision, dissolving Rivers State Executives of the party at all levels, is preparing the stage for the emergence of Barr. Wike as the new leader of APC in Rivers State.
“With Chief Okocha, who is alleged to be a political ally of Barr. Wike given the responsibility of serving as Caretaker Chairman, it simply means that all the new emerging executives for APC at all levels in Rivers State will be Barr. Wike’s supporters. This is the dirty politics at play in Rivers State.”
Lukman wondered if Tinubu supported the removal of Senator Abdulahi Adamu as the chairman of the party, only to install Ganduje who would not say no to him.
Lukman added: “With such reality, it simply means, the structures of APC in FCT will also be dissolved to produce new APC leaders at all levels of the party who will be loyal to Barr. Wike. And any state where APC is led by people who might have opposed President Asiwaju Tinubu will similarly be dissolved.”
