The North-West Zonal Chairman of All Progressives Congress, Salihu Lukman has dismissed speculations that he has abandoned his party to work for the candidacy of the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.
Describing the report as “absurd”, Lukman, in a statement titled ‘Fallacious Politics of 2023’ and issued on Sunday in Abuja said he remained committed to the goal of his party.
The development is coming barely 24 hours after a Director in the Tinubu-Shettima presidential campaign council, Naja’atu Muhammad, quit the team and the ruling party.
Until she left, 67-year-old Mohammed was the Director of Civil Society directorate of the PCC.
Her resignation was said to have caused a stir in the camp of the APC.
But Lukman, a member of the APC National Working Committee, debunked leaving the party nor supporting the opposition camp as being speculated.
His statement partly read; “Out of all the leading candidates, the only one that has never left his party to any party is Tinubu. He is the only one that has been a national political leader since he left office as the Governor of Lagos State in 2007 that is presenting himself for the first time as a presidential candidate for the 2023 elections. In addition, he is the only contestant who together with other leaders of the APC envisioned the political roadmap for the defeat of the PDP.
“The candidature of Asiwaju therefore represents the hope for the emergence of accountable leaders. To have accountable leaders require the presence of political parties with accountable management as provided in their rules.
“Many of us in the APC are supporting Asiwaju as part of our ongoing campaign to continue to build the APC as a progressive party, capable of producing accountable elected representatives at all levels. We do so with full confidence that Asiwaju will build on the legacy of the President, Muhammadu Buhari, which also includes respecting internal debate and contestation within the APC. The APC is the only party today in Nigeria that permits internal debate and contestations.”
