The Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment to APC National Chairman Chief Oliver Okpala has described the immediate past National Vice Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) North-West Salihu Lukman as a loosed political cannon who has been rudderless in his public utterances and conduct over the years.
Chief Okpala said that the recent outburst of Salihu Lukman against the National Chairman of the APC Chief Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje was unfortunate and a wrong narrative to the public on the current posture of Dr Ganduje as a political father and Messiah trying to unify the country and the party as a true democrat and detribalised Nigerian Leader.
In a recent interview, published in a National Daily, Mr Salihu Lukman in his words “we removed Abdullahi Adamu, and brought in Ganduje. But, Ganduje is just sitting, almost behaving like Adamu. I am sorry, with due respect to him.”
He added “No meeting is taking place. Sometimes you see people paying courtesy visits. It does not amount to meeting all the obligations the constitution has imposed on him as the national chairman of the party. I think these are the issues.”
But in a reaction to Lukeman’s comments, Ganduje’s Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment, Chief Oliver Okpala, in a statement berated Lukman, describing him as loosed cannon who has been rudderless in his public utterances and conduct over the years.
“For him to make such claims about Ganduje means that he is indeed mischievous. He is trying to give a wrong narrative about the political superiority and effective leadership which Dr Ganduje has been providing for the party” Okpala said.
We know Lukman’s cantankerous antecedents and we are not surprised by this incredulous outburst.
A party official who has fought every party leadership even the one he served alongside is not a person who should be taken seriously.
Chief Okpala dismissed Lukman’s insinuations that Ganduje was not carrying other NWC members along.
Lukman should know that the APC ship is sailing smoothly and every member of the various organs are being carried along.
How does Lukman know that Ganduje’s leadership is not holding relevant meetings? Must every meeting be splashed on newspapers or social media?
Ganduje is not an infantile attention seeker like Lukman who suffers character deficit.
Ganduje is a calculative, strategic and composed leader who holds meetings when necessary, not just for meetings sake and when such meetings hold he does not rush to the media except it is of utmost importance.
For Ganduje, strategy is better than energy. He is not a rabble rouser like Lukman and would continue to lead the APC with dignity and decorum. Ganduje is not a rowdy or confused attention seeker. He is a father to all in the party.
Lukman’s conduct and utterances have shown that he is politically bankrupt. He is political confused and should not be associated with. Otherwise, how can he be against every leadership of a party he says he belongs to.
No wonder at the public presentation of his book recently, a former National Chairman of the APC, Senator Adams Oshiomhole took him to the cleaners and lectured him about the ABC of character in politics.
Hear what the former Edo Governor said about Lukeman:
“Lukman wrote several letters, dismissing my leadership without calling me. When you ride on the back of a tiger, there is only one destination. Lukman was appointed undemocratically by the governors’ forum. I was not consulted—I was a governor. We were told this is the new DG of the APC governors forum”
Lukeman who pretends to be a saint and democrat was appointed DG APC governor’ s forum undemocratically.
Hear Oshiomhole as he exposed the power monger, Salihu Lukman:
Lukman was there when I wrote a letter, inviting the governors for a meeting to discuss the guidelines for conducting primaries, let me know the thinking of the various interest groups. I have discussed it with the president, and I needed to discuss it with the governors—so that once the guidelines are out, the party can claim ownership of it because it has been debated.
“I wrote to the governors for a meeting. The governors said no, I should come to Imo House, not the APC office. He (Lukman) was there (where they were holding the meeting). He did not see anything wrong with that,” Mr Oshiomhole said.
Speaking on the atmosphere at the said meeting with the governors, Senator Oshiomhole said “It felt as though I was in a military barrack.”
Okpala said “That is the nature of Salihu Lukman. He is only in love with himself while every other person is wrong. He is always self-righteous and self-seeking”.
In 2020 the same Oshiomhole tongue-lashed Lukman, who was then the Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum.
Oshiomhole was right after all.
Salihu Lukman should be taught that you don’t need to insult your leaders to be popular.
Chief Oliver Okpala warned Nigeria’s political class against politics of bitterness and bad blood which he said Lukman plays.
Lukman’s antecedents shows clearly that he should not be taken seriously. His style of politics has been that of puerile antagonism, putrid hate, and baleful bitterness which has no place in contemporary politics.
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The nation and indeed the APC has passed that pedestrian level of political bitterness and antagonistic animalism.
Ganduje is a modern political messiah and he stands eminently on the robust platform of decorum, respect and love for the people.
He exudes love, faith, joy and happiness and he is committed to letting such pristine virtues to permeate Nigeria’s political orbit.
Ganduje is a man who has seen it all, he is father to all and that is why the APC national leadership decided to make him the National Chairman of the party so that he can be a unifying factor, a stabiliser, who would use his wealth of experience in resolving political differences.
He has also began to greatly impact positively on the fortunes and image of the party in the current dispensation. What he has done since he came on the saddle is to unite and not to divide like Lukman, a professional man in creating confusion.
Ganduje will not be distracted by the likes of Lukman who has always wanted to destroy the APC even under past administrations.
But Lukman and his likes should know that there is no room for their shenanigans in the current APC led by Dr. Ganduje. This APC is going to continue to focus on building love, peace, internal party democracy and forthrightness in all political dealings.
Already, the way Ganduje has brought decorum to bear in the affairs of the party speaks volume.
Coupled with the love APC members and leaders across the country have so far shown him, Dr. Ganduje has been attracting awards and commendations across boards.
His well-known political clout and image has gone before him to be creating goodwill for the APC.
The traditional titles recently conferred on him in various parts of the country shows how acceptable he is in the nooks and crannies of Nigeria.
“Therefore, a political lilliputian like Lukeman cannot speak for the teeming Nigerians, and particularly APC members who have clearly shown their acceptance of Dr. Ganduje” Chief Okpala concluded.
CHIEF OLIVER OKPALA
SENIOR SPECIAL ASSISTANT ON PUBLIC ENLIGHTENMENT TO APC NATIONAL CHAIRMAN
