The National Vice Chairman (North-West) of the All Progressives Congress, Mallam Salihu Lukman, on Sunday says it would be unfair for anybody to blame the party for the numerous problems plaguing the country.
This is even as Lukman stated that while not dismissing the plethora of challenges, especially in the area of insecurity, the ruling party has been bold enough to admit its existence unlike the previous administration of President Goodluck Jonathan, which was perennially in denial.
The former director-general of the Progressive Governors’ Forum made the clarification while addressing newsmen in Abuja on Sunday.
He said, “The deceptive propaganda being sponsored by opposition to APC is that the solution to the problem lies outside APC. Let nobody be deceived that APC is the problem. APC is not the problem. Yes! There are challenges that we are facing today which emerged while APC is in government.
“My pride is that our leaders are not in denial of those challenges unlike in the previous administration. If you look at candidates of other parties, they are not coming up with recommendations but propaganda to shoot down APC and Nigerians should be smarter than that.
“Life is about challenges. Those challenges exist, no doubt about it. But I think my response to it is that we will be honest, and we will open ourselves to engagement because democracy is a two-thing.”
While also describing his party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, as a unique and sellable candidate, Lukman disclosed that he is not the regular political merchant still running the mill.
He, however, added that it is up to Nigerians to decide the kind of leadership that can steer the country from the woods.
“When I talk of our candidate not being an election merchant, he also has another advantage. He has been on the advocacy platform, even before democracy. The other candidates were not there.”
“I raised the point of the candidate not being on the ballot since 2003 on a positive note, to demonstrate that he is not one of those I called election merchants. He wasn’t an election merchant. And he had every reason to have aspired in 2007, 2011, 2015 and 2019. That cannot be said of the other candidates, whether Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Kwankwaso or Peter Obi. Of course.
“No doubt the likes of Atiku, Kwankwaso, and Peter Obi are respected people in politics. I will not toe the line of those dismissing them. As I said, in terms of edge and campaign, the advantage our candidate has is that he’s not a regular election merchant.
“The last time he appeared on the ballot was in 2003. Unlike the other candidates you mentioned, he has never left the party for any other party, which for me means some higher level of integrity and trustworthiness.
“Now it is up to Nigerians to make their conclusion. That does not stop Nigerians from making choices they want, democracy is about making choices, but our business as a political party and political leaders is to promote our candidate and engage the competition in a way that people acknowledge and recognise their differences.”
According to him, the APC also has a duty to “review and look at what we promised between 2015 and 2019.
He said, “What are the gaps and there are gaps that exist? What is it that needs to be done in order to address those gaps? In addition to that, what are the new challenges?”
