APC’s reaction to coalition calls confirms party’s derailment – Salihu Lukman
A former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the North-West, Salihu Lukman, has claimed that the party’s response to recent calls for a coalition of opposition parties confirms that it has strayed from its founding ideals. During a two-day national conference on democracy last week, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar reiterated […]

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A former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the North-West, Salihu Lukman, has claimed that the party’s response to recent calls for a coalition of opposition parties confirms that it has strayed from its founding ideals.
During a two-day national conference on democracy last week, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar reiterated his call for opposition leaders to unite in order to “save” Nigeria’s democracy.
The conference, which also featured former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, saw the latter express concerns about developments within the ruling party, alleging that the APC was behind the woes of the opposition parties.
El-Rufai also urged opposition parties to collaborate if they are to unseat the current government.
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In response, the APC, through a statement by its spokesman Felix Morka, dismissed Atiku’s assertions as “laughable” and questioned his credibility.
Morka also criticised Atiku, alongside other opposition figures like Peter Obi and El-Rufai, for suggesting that the ruling party was responsible for the internal challenges facing opposition groups.
In an article shared with Daily Trust yesterday, Lukman accused the APC and its officials of dismissing the conference’s objectives. He argued that the party’s refusal to engage with the conference demonstrates its authoritarian tendencies and departure from its progressive roots, which had initially garnered support in 2015.
“The sad reality is that the APC, instead of engaging the issues, both as a party and government in power, became contemptuous. This further exposes the reactionary and authoritarian orientation of the APC.
“In fact, the mere fact that the APC and many officials of the government were invited but failed to honour the invitations is indicative that the APC is no longer the envisioned progressive party which Nigerians rallied behind in 2015 to get the PDP out of power.
“Being a party and a government that is completely alienated, just like the PDP in 2015, it despises initiatives that seek to mobilise Nigerians to address national challenges,” he said.
Lukman, who is also the former director-general of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), further stated that the APC’s hostile reactions to such initiatives bear resemblance to the repressive tactics of past military regimes.
He pointed out similarities between statements from government spokespersons like Bayo Onanuga and Felix Morka and the rhetoric of Comrade Uche Chukwumerije during the Babangida era.