Salihu Lukman: APC now runs like a monarchy, not a progressive party

Salihu Lukman, former national vice chairman (north-west) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), says the party is drifting towards monarchy. 

Speaking on Friday during his appearance on The Morning Brief, a Channels Television programme, Lukman said internal democracy has been discarded within the APC.

He lamented that the party now leans towards “automatic” endorsements rather than open internal contests.

Reflecting on his role in the formation of the APC, Lukman said he was disappointed with the party’s current trajectory.

“The APC has moved from a party envisioned to be progressive to almost a monarchy,” he said.

“As it is now, the APC mantra is that there will be no internal contest in 2027 — the president is adopted. All their governors are adopted. Legislators are also adopted.

Any party whose elected representatives are not accountable is not a party in the classical sense.

He revealed that negotiations were nearing conclusion for a new opposition coalition ahead of the 2027 elections.

According to him, talks had been ongoing for over a year to create a platform capable of mounting a strong challenge to the current political system.

He said the proposed coalition might either form a new party or restructure an existing one.

“There is nothing stopping the coalition from coming to fruition,” he said.

“Even when the governors claimed, for instance, they were not part of the coalition, we responded clearly. Some of them, as you have seen, either have already moved to the APC or are on their way to move to the APC.

“So, clearly, they are doing the bidding of the APC and the ‘Asiwaju’ government. So, we are not bothered about that. We have the PDP bloc in the coalition and nothing is stopping the coalition.

“We are going through a painstaking process and very soon, we are going to come out and clarify all the details, in terms of how we are going to contest the 2027 elections and the leaders of the coalition; all those will be known.”

Lukman said the coalition is insisting on a total leadership overhaul, constitutional amendments, and a transparent internal system where candidates emerge through open contests.

He added that the goal of the coalition is not just to seize power but to redefine the country’s politics.

“We want to present to Nigerians a new reality that addresses all the frustrations,” he said.

“We want to ensure that internally, winners emerge through contests, and when people win elections, they are accountable to the party.”

On Thursday, the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) formally endorsed President Bola Tinubu as the sole candidate of the APC for the 2027 presidential election.

Hope Uzodimma, governor of Imo state and chairman of the forum, announced the decision on Thursday at a summit organised by the ruling party.

Speaking at the summit, Godswill Akpabio, the senate president, said Tinubu should be the sole presidential candidate just for the APC but for the entire country in 2027.

Akpabio praised Tinubu’s “political sagacity” and said the president has placed the country on a path of economic growth.