2027: Opposition Leaders Talking to Produce Alternate Platforms, Says Lukman

Adedayo Akinwale in Abuja

A former National Vice Chairman, North West of All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Salihu Lukman, has hinted that opposition political leaders, including alienated APC leaders, have commenced negotiations towards producing alternative political platforms ahead of the 2027 elections.

To this end, he said Nigerians must rise to this challenge and make the defeat of APC and President Bola Tinubu not only possible in 2027 but most importantly guarantee the election of truly democratic leaders and not emperors.

Lukman, in a statement, pointed out that opposition political leaders should commit themselves to allowing political competition in the country as a basis for the emergence of political leaders at all levels.

Lukman stressed that once the process of forming the new party failed to guarantee internal competition to produce leaders of the party, it simply meant retention of the status quo

He added that the only way the defeat of Tinubu and APC was possible was if Nigerians were able to focus themselves and produce a functional political party that would respect its own rules.

The former Director General of  Progressives Governors’Form emphasised that such a functional political party must be distinctively different from APC, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Labour Party (LP), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and all the existing registered political parties in the country.

“While acknowledging that opposition political leaders, including alienated APC leaders have commenced negotiations towards producing alternative political platforms, it must be also recognised that most Nigerian politicians are not disposed to competitive political culture.

“Largely because most politicians are driven by personal ambitions to contest elections, the default mindset is about imposition and manipulating processes to achieve personal ambitions. This must stop,” he said.