David Lawani
A member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned President Muhammadu Buhari on the need to be conscious of his legacies and avoid falling into the temptation of unilaterally picking his successor.

The National Vice-Chairman of APC (North-West), in the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC, Salihu Lukman, said this in an open letter to the President yesterday in Abuja.

He warned that it would be “democratically risky and very costly” for the President to pick a successor.

Also, a former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, warned the President and the ruling party that any plan to impose a presidential candidate on APC for the 2023 election will backfire.

The NWC member, in a piece titled: Succession and 2023 APC presidential candidate: Open letter to President Muhammadu Buhari,” was reacting to the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting between Buhari and the 22-member Progressives Governors’ Forum.

Lukman, therefore, urged Buhari not to copy what he described as the anti-democratic credentials of former President Olusegun Obasanjo who foisted his successor, late President Umaru Yar’Adua on his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and went on to rig the general election to ensure his emergence.

During the consultative meeting with 22 APC governors on Tuesday, Buhari talked of the internal policies of the party which allowed ‘first term governors who have served credibly well… to stand for re-election and ‘second term governors… accorded the privilege of promoting successors that are capable of driving their visions.”

Buhari, therefore, solicited for ‘reciprocity and support of governors and other stakeholders in picking’ his successor, ‘who would fly the flag of our party for election into the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023.’

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Noting that ordinarily, this should not be a problem as both party members and leaders will always trust the President’s judgement, the APC official, however, noted that “the big worry is whether loyal party leaders and members should just reduce themselves to being ordinary observers when very sensitive issues with very high potential to diminish and damage Your Excellency’s revered status in the country is being considered.”

Lukman, who was the former Director-General of the PGF, noted that it was important to caution the APC to keep faith with basic tenets of democracy as its major campaign message to Nigerians for the 2023 elections.

“This was eloquently highlighted in Your Excellency’s message to our Progressive Governors when you stated that ‘the key to electoral successes is the ability to hold consultations and for members to put the nation above other interests.’

“The temptation for leaders to choose their successors is democratically risky and very costly. If in 2013/2014, Your Excellency could submit yourself to internal democratic processes, it is important that your successor also follows the same process.

“It may also be necessary to highlight that a major disadvantage with succession arrangement whereby Governors chose their successors is that it negatively affects the relationship between the successor and the predecessor, which undermines the capacity to influence actions or inactions of successors by their predecessors.

“Your Excellency, since the period of negotiating the merger that produce our party APC, I have been a proponent of ensuring that our party takes every step to preserve our leaders who could exercise moral authority.

“This means that leaders who are highly respected on account of their standing in society should not hold elective or appointive positions”, he said.

Those vying for the APC’s presidential ticket include the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo; the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi.

Others are Pastor Tunde Bakare, the Cross River State Governor, Prof Ben Ayade; his Ekiti State counterpart, Dr Kayode Fayemi, an ex-Minister of State, Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, former President of the Senate, Senator Ken Nnamani; Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello; Jigawa State governor, Mohammed Badaru and former Zamfara State governor, Senator Ahmed Yerima.

Also on the list are Senator Ajayi Borroffice; the only female aspirant, B. Uju Kennedy Ohanenye, Pastor Nicholas Felix Nwagbo; former Speaker of Representative, Dimeji Bankole; President of the Senate, Dr Ahmed Lawal; former Minister of Information, Chief Ikeobasi Mokelu and Mr Tein Jack Rich.

They also include a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi; a former Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; former Minister of Science, Technology, and Innovation, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu; a former Imo State governor, Senator Rochas Okorocha and former Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun.

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*Imposing candidate may backfire– Shittu

Meanwhile, Shittu said the plan of President Buhari ahead of the presidential primary of the ruling party may backfire.

Shittu gave this warning yesterday during an interview on Channels TV.

The former minister’s comment was in respect to Buhari’s statement during his meeting with PGF at the presidential villa, Abuja on Tuesday.

There are speculations that Buhari has a preferred presidential candidate.

Shittu in his reaction charged the President not to impose a presidential candidate on the party.

He advised that delegates should be allowed to pick their preferred candidate.

The former minister said, “I will appeal to Mr President to appeal to our governors that they should, as democrats, as progressives, ensure that a level playing field is provided for all aspirants.

“Let delegates from every nook and cranny of this country have an opportunity to make their choices so that Nigerians will see that we are doing better than the other parties.

“We have had several states in the past where governors attempted to bring in their preferred candidates over and above what is equitable, and it has backfired.

“It is not a standard that we must try to build on. We are a democratic party and the fact that some governors have in the past imposed candidates can not be a justification for us to continue to perpetuate anti-democratic (acts).

“They should not bamboozle people, they should not intimidate, they should not do anything that will compromise the right to fairness in bringing in new candidates.”

He further stated that the 2023 election would be different from the previous ones as there are stronger candidates on parade now.

Shittu said, “In 2019, it was essentially a two-party affair but this year, with what we have seen with the NNPP coming up, with Labour Party coming up with a very strong candidate in Peter Obi. We must appreciate that actions will naturally have consequences.

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“We must learn from our circumstances; we must learn from our environment and know that it may not be as easy as we think. We must also be warned now that the youths are coming up, stronger and more agitated for change.

“We must be able to give the impression to the general public, particularly the youths, that we are being fair to all aspirants and that as democrats, as progressives, we are not giving the impression that some people are being over-pampered above others.”

*Govs meeting on consensus deadlocked

Indications emerged yesterday that the 22 APC governors could not agree on their search for a consensus presidential candidate as directed by Buhari on Tuesday.

ThisNigeria learnt from a top APC source that the governors are still divided over the matter.

The source said, “The governors are still divided over the matter. They needed to consider many things, including capability, region, and religion. No agreement was reached and the meeting was postponed to later this week.”