A former National Vice Chairman (North West) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Mohammed Lukman has said if opposition parties fail to seize power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027, it will spell doom for the country.
In a statement titled, “Looming danger of docile political opposition”, Lukman, a former Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), flayed the leading opposition parties for being embroiled in internal crises ahead of the 2027 elections.
Lukman said it was worrisome that the parties discussing merger were yet to “graduate to structured political engagements on the platforms of any of the existing opposition political parties.”
Recall that leaders of some opposition parties had hinted of plans to unite in order to dethrone the APC-led government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027, following the spate of killings, kidnapping, hunger, poverty, and general insecurity in the country.
Lukman said: “It is quite appalling, for instance, that PDP leaders are antagonistic to Alh. Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Peter Obi is in the midst of a helpless survival leadership battle in LP and Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso is oversighting a directionless NNPP whose roof is being torn apart by no other than its own so-called leaders.
“And all the other parties, including SDP and PRP have adopted a monarchic behaviour, sitting in their comfort zones waiting for disgruntled and aggrieved opposition political leaders to come to them for some ‘royal’ covers.
“All these have contributed to emboldening President Asiwaju Tinubu and his APC insensitive and reckless decisions, which further worsen citizens’ conditions of living are being taken on daily basis.
“The reality is that if by the end of December 2024, no structured engagement has commenced based on strategic initiative to develop the alternative political platform, oriented based on selfless disposition of opposition political leaders, it simply means that any opposition to APC and President Asiwaju Tinubu in 2027 will be based on personal ambitions of individual political leaders.
“If that is the case, the risk of producing a government that is worse that the current one will be high. Irrespective of whether the government is led by Alh. Atiku Abubakar, Mr. Peter Obi, Sen Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso or any of the orphaned leaders of APC, any successor government that emerged based on personal ambition of political leaders risked being worse.”
