A former chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has called on the main opposition candidates from the 2023 General Elections to unite in order to defeat President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 contest. Lukman specifically appealed to former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s Peter Obi, and New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) leader Rabiu Kwankwaso to forge an alliance against the ruling party.
These three opposition figures collectively garnered over 14.5 million votes in the 2023 election, while Tinubu secured over 8.7 million votes. Lukman, in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday, July 7, 2024, stressed the importance of this proposed merger among the main opposition parties.
Lukman also suggested that other political heavyweights, including former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, and former governors Nasir El-rufai, Rauf Aregbesola, Kayode Fayemi, and Ibikunle Amosun, should be part of this alliance. He emphasized that building a united front capable of advancing Nigerian democracy requires selflessness from the political class.
Criticizing the current state of the country, Lukman condemned the ruling APC for failing to provide the needed leadership to fight corruption, instead legitimizing higher levels of graft. He questioned the future of democracy in Nigeria, pointing out the numerous challenges facing citizens such as poverty, unemployment, insecurity, and inflation.
Lukman also noted that although the government of President Tinubu has blamed current hardships on the bad economy inherited from former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration, both are APC governments. He argued that the failings of the PDP in 2015 were less grievous than what has manifested under the APC in 2024.
He asserted that APC leaders, including Tinubu, should share responsibility for the failures of the Buhari era, as they benefited more from it electorally. Lukman lamented that instead of producing democratic leaders, APC had turned democracy on its head, with elected leaders becoming emperors and overlords, capturing and privatizing state machinery to serve their interests.
Until recently, Lukman served as the National Vice Chairman of the APC and Director General of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF). He has remained one of the most vocal critics of the Tinubu government.