2027: Ex-APC Vice Chairman urges, Atiku, Obi, others to gang up against Tinubu

Ex-Vice Chairman in charge of North West of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Salihu Lukman, has called on the former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi and presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso to gang up against President Bola Tinubu ahead of 2027 presidential election.

The APC chieftain said, this could be made possible through merger so that they can take over the leadership with a view to reform the nation’s democracy and ensure the emergence of a functional political party capable of rescuing the country.

Lukman said, those who were frustrated out of APC should join the project of stopping Tinubu from coming back in 2027.

Those he said should join the coalition against President Tinubu are, former Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, ex-Governors Rotimi Amaechi, Kayode Fayemi, Ibukunle Amosun, Nasir El-Rufai,and Rauf Aregbesola, among others, insisting that the task of rescuing Nigeria is a task for all.

In a statement which he issued on Monday and made available to journalisrs in Abuja, he said after the end of ‘#EndBadGovernance Campaign’ Tinubu’s government was unable to clearly provide a definite policy in response to the protest.

The politician attributed the economic woes to the removal of fuel subsidy on petroleum products and the floating of Nigeria’s local currency against other international currencies.

Lukman who was a former Director General of the Progressives Governors Forum, stressed that Nigeria as an import-dependent country cannot survive the removal of petroleum subsidy and floating of foreign exchange rate, lamenting the high level of hunger and hardship occasioned the policy catastrophe of the administration.

He said the #EndBadGovernance campaign was certainly a signal, but which must be inculcated into plans and actions targeted at rescuing the nation putting it back on the path of national democratic development.

He said, failure to gang up against Tinubu means his return in 2027 will spell doom for the nation.

The statement said: “While acknowledging that there are already unfolding initiatives in this direction, the rising anger in the country must be utilised and directed to strengthen the emergence of a veritable functional political party different from APC, PDP, LP and NNPP. As it is, it must be acknowledged that these parties cannot serve as the platforms to rescue Nigeria from its current unfortunate self-inflicted downward spiral producing mass poverty and starvation.

“The restlessness of Nigerian youth must be mobilised and directed appropriately to push INEC to register all new parties that meet every statutory requirement for registration. Whether by design or default, there seems to be an undeclared moratorium for registration of new parties by INEC,” he said.

“Given that a majority political leaders are already aggrieved, and with the way the government has rendered virtually all registered political parties comatose, the process of uniting aggrieved political leaders across all parties must earnestly commence.

“The point is, under no circumstance should political leaders sit back and just watch Nigerian youths with legitimate grievances ignored and left with their frustration. Once that is the case, the predictable outcome will be violence and a breakdown of law and order with a high potential for collateral losses of lives and property.

“If opposition political leaders are to earn the trust of Nigerians, they must begin to develop all the requisite democratic structures guaranteed by Nigerian laws to connect with Nigerians represented by all interests”.