A former Northwest National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has said that the sack of Senator Ali Ndume as the Senate Chief Whip and his subsequent expulsion from the party was a clear indication that the President, Bola Tinubu has resolved to use just one term in office.
NIGERIANS ONLINE reported that on Wednesday, July 17, Ndume was removed as Chief Whip of the Senate and replaced with Senator Tahir Monguno following a directive contained in a letter sent to the APC Caucus in the Senate signed by APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje and National Secretary, Senator Basiru Ajibola, over alleged rabid outbursts against the president.
Lukman, in a statement issued Thursday, July 18, titled, “Fanatical Mindset,” lamented that free speech is being attacked again in the country, comparing it to the Abacha era, or worse.
The former APC chieftain said that as it is, personal liberties of citizens are being threatened, fair hearing is no longer guaranteed, reiterating that the country has democracy without democrats.
He said there was nowhere in the APC Constitution where the National Chairman, National Secretary, or any official, or even the National Working Committee, is given the powers to summarily remove any principal officer of the National Assembly.
He said it was a shame that the APC Senate Caucus would permit such an act of illegality, adding that by doing so, they have set a precedent that would further erode the independence of the National Assembly
Lukman: “The way things are, it is almost as if President Asiwaju Tinubu has resolved that he will only be a one-term President. Under his watch, the living conditions of Nigerians are continuously getting worse. Instead of making effort to develop clear plans to address the situation, the government is becoming more intolerant of criticism.
“Any democracy that cannot accommodate criticism is no democracy. A democracy that subverts fair hearing is a dictatorship. A democracy that permits a ruling party to demobilize its organs and inadvertently expels its members is worse than a military government.”
“So long as APC, its leadership, and Asiwaju Tinubu’s government have taken the self-destructive path, which is equivalent to a declaration of working end to their tenure in 2027, patriotic Nigerians must help them to ensure their defeat in 2027!”
