… Laments lack of financial report in NWC
The National Vice Chairman North-west of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Malam Salihu Moh Lukman, has said that the President-elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will be held accountable on his promises of renewed hope and expectations of most Nigerians.
The APC chieftain added that coming from the trenches, Asiwaju Tinubu has no excuse but to chatalyse the development of Nigerian democracy to meet the expectations of Nigerians.
In a congratulatory message released Wednesday in Abuja, Lukman rejected a situation where the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) led by Senator Abdullahi Adamu could not render financial report to any organ of the party in a whole year.
According to him, Some of the things that should be immediately done is to ensure that the National Working Committee (NWC) is accountable and respect the constitution of the party.
The former Progressives Governors Forum Director General said: “The next era of APC government under His Excellency Asiwaju Tinubu must produce the rebirth of the struggle for democracy in Nigeria. It must signal the era of renewed hope for the development of democracy in Nigeria. It should above all be the era for the institutional development of APC as a political party. Coming from the trenches, Asiwaju Tinubu has no excuse but to chatalyse the development of Nigerian democracy to meet the expectations of Nigerians. Both as Nigerians and as APC members, we will hold Asiwaju Tinubu accountable on these scores. Congratulations Asiwaju Tinubu, Congratulations APC leaders and members, and congratulations Nigerians!
“At this point, we must, as leaders and associates of the President-elect accept this trust with high measure of humility. We must acknowledge and thank President Muhammadu Buhari for his leadership. In doing so, we should appeal to Asiwaju Tinubu being the new leader of our party to consider this golden opportunity as a call to action to continue the struggle for the development of Nigerian democracy. This will require considerable attention and focus on the development of our party, which will require some internal reform measures to guarantee internal competition within the party.
“A situation whereby the NWC will operate for almost a year without rendering financial report to any organ of the party is unacceptable. Similarly unacceptable is a situation whereby the NWC will continue to refuse to convene meetings of the National Executive Committee (NEC) as provided in the constitution of the party.
“Being the leader of the party, Asiwaju Tinubu should avoid replicating the mistake whereby as President of the Federal Republic produced by the APC he will limit his relationship with other leaders of the party to only the National Chairman and some few leaders of the party.”
The APC chieftain said Tinubu must broaden his relationship with all leaders of the party and mainstream it to nurture the institutional development of party organs.
“Over the years, we have witnesses how limiting relationship between the President, on the one hand, and National Chairman and few leaders, on the other, that was abused and should be corrected immediately.
“In all these, we need to also acknowledge that development of political parties in Nigeria today is being encumbered by funding challenges. As things are, all our political parties lack independent sources of funding. As a result, party leaders have been reduced to being surrogates of elected representatives in government, yet we expect parties to regulate the conduct of these elected representatives.
“In the circumstance, it amounts to sheer mockery to talk of party supremacy. There is no way any surrogate can regulate the conduct of his or her master. Part of the confirmation that party leaders are surrogates will be reflected in the ways and manners personal lobbies for appointments into government will be activated by the same people who would be expected to facilitate internal party negotiations for appointment in the next government to be led by Asiwaju Tinubu.
“Poor management of negotiations into the Federal Government in 2015 produced the reality of weak influence by the party and its leadership on governments it produced, especially Federal Government led by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Consequently, loyal party members who worked hard to produce the victory of the party in 2015 and 2019 had to live with the trauma of producing a government that doesn’t reward the efforts of party members. Strangers and in some instances antagonists to APC became the main players. This must change if our party is to develop democratically.
“Another point that must be highlighted at this point of victory is the need to be faithful to our electoral promises. One of the shortcomings of parties managing governments since 1999 is that everything is left to the discretion of elected representatives. Requirements to give life to provisions of party manifesto is absent.
“In fact, many elected representatives are ignorant of provisions of the party manifesto. This needs to change. All party leaders aspiring to be appointed into government must familiarise themselves with provisions of the party manifesto as well as envision how to produce desired outcomes.
“A situation where the party will invest time and resources to produce recommendations such as the one produced by the Mal. Nasir El-Rufai Committee on True Federalism and ignored by government is not only unacceptable but should be regarded as anti-party activity. The commitment of leaders to democracy must be reflected in their willingness to implement decisions of party organs.”
