By David Lawani, Abuja
The leadership crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC) has consumed the Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Mr Salihu Lukman, who was sacked yesterday.

Although no official statement had been issued to that effect, it was gathered that he resigned to avoid being sacked.

ThisNigeria gathered that some members of the governors’ forum were sympathetic to Lukman and advised during the weekend meeting of the forum to allow him to see out his tenure but those who were loyal to Yobe State Governor, Mai Mala Buni, who is the chairman of the party’s caretaker committee disagreed.

The chairman of the forum is also a political ally of Buni and was instrumental in the instigation of moves to sack Lukman.

The forum, which was divided over the matter, sources said, gave a nod for him to resign as soon as possible or be sacked.

It was gathered that some of the governors who pushed for his sack were Kebbi State Governor, Mr Abubakar Bagudu, who doubles as the Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, Cross River State Governor, Mr Ben Ayade, Katsina State Governor, Mr Aminu Masari, Borno State Governor, Mr Babagana Zulum, among others.

Those who opposed his sack, according to sources, were Kogi State governor, Mr Yahaya Bello, and governors of Lagos, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, Nasarawa state governor, Mr Abdullahi Sule, and few others, but the voices of the latter were drowned.

Lukman has been very vocal lately about the crisis in the party, accusing the Buni-led caretaker committee of pandering to external forces by foot-dragging on when to hold the party’s national convention.

He had said Buni had weakened organs of the party and should work hard to revive them before the convention in a strongly worded letter to the caretaker chairman a few weeks ago.

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Lukman has not responded to media inquiries seeking his response, but a party official has said “the PGF boss has done the right thing by acting according to his conscience”.

It would be recalled that the APC leadership and the governors had agreed last year to conduct the convention next month in a bid to strengthen the party ahead of the 2023 general election.

Meanwhile, the committee had been under tremendous pressure to step aside following the crises that trailed last year’s congresses were several factions conducted parallel congresses in defiance of the party’s directive.

The latest development has further confirmed that all may not be well with the ruling party with just 13 months to the next national election.

Also, in a swift reaction the former Chief of staff to Governor Godwin Obaseki and a chieftain of the All-Progressives Congress, APC, Taiwo Akerele said he regretted the resignation of Lukman, saying he will be greatly missed.

Akerele noted that he had worked with him before stressing that his contributions to the party will be documented and it will serve as a point of reference by the party in the future.

“It came as a rude shock to me. Lukman is a man I worked very closely with when I was chief of Staff, together we established the APC CoS forum where I served as national pioneer coordinator between 2018 and 2020.

“His is sound, intelligent, and has a positive sense of how the country should be managed. His intellectual discourse is well documented. He is an asset to APC and Nigeria at large. His services will be greatly missed at the APC Governors’ Forum secretariat,” he stated.