A member of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress, Salihu Lukman has advised President Muhammadu Buhari to withdraw his request seeking to give him the privilege to produce his successor in 2023.
In an open letter to President Buhari on Wednesday, Lukman who is the National Vice-Chairman of the APC National Working Committee warned that such move will erode all the lifelong achievement of the President to strengthen Nigeria’s Democracy.
Lukman noted that President Buhari’s idea will reduce loyal party members to ordinary observers when very sensitive issues with very high potential to diminish his revered status are being discussed.
He noted that any initiative that potentially takes away the rights of party members to elect candidates would potentially mobilise Nigerians against the party.
Lukman said the temptation for leaders to choose their successors is democratically risky and very costly noting that if President Buhari could submit himself to internal democratic process in 2014, then his successor should follow same process in 2022.
Lukman says APC must demonstrate much more sensitivity to the challenges of national unity by ensuring that the eventual standard bearer for the 2023 election embodies commitment to equity and justice as the underlying principles sustaining the corporate existence of Nigeria.
Editor Paul Akhagbemhe
