A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Mallam Salihu Lukman, on Tuesday, cautioned the newly inaugurated national leadership of the party, led by former Senate President David Mark, against condoning the “culture of imposition” and internal wrangling that is plaguing other political platforms in the country.
Lukman, a former vice chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, gave the warning in a statement issued in Abuja, titled “ADC and the Prospect of Internal Democracy.”
According to him, the ADC risks becoming a replica of the old political parties if the leadership fails to embrace collective leadership and ensure fairness in the management of party affairs ahead of the 2027 general elections.
He said, “The major problem is the culture of imposition that is widespread across all the registered political parties in the country. It is largely responsible for the absence of internal democracy within all the parties.
“It is also the cause of why elected leaders are unaccountable and unable to be committed to delivering on electoral promises they made to citizens.”
The Kaduna-born politician, who played a key role in building the coalition that birthed the current ADC leadership, recalled the difficulty of bringing together opposition leaders for a common cause.
While commending Mark’s role in sealing the agreement that produced the new ADC leadership, Lukman said the real test of his leadership would be the ability to prevent godfatherism and the imposition of loyalists across all levels.
“After more than 18 months of hard work and negotiations, Sen. David Mark is today, together with his team, taking over as the new national leadership of the African Democratic Congress.
“When some few of us started advocating for a coalition of opposition leaders, most Nigerians, including many of the leaders who are now positioning themselves as the drivers of the process, were quite pessimistic and contemptuous,” he said.
Lukman expressed disappointment that some leaders within the coalition of already taking steps to manipulate the party’s internal processes as though victory in the 2027 elections were assured.
He therefore warned that unless the ADC charted a new course and earned the trust of Nigerians, the party risked becoming “another variant of our old parties.”
The party chieftain also warned that Nigerians would not hesitate to abandon the ADC if, within the next six months, the party failed to show evidence of true internal democracy.
“Many are taking steps to manipulate the process of leadership reformation of the ADC. Loyalists are being promoted in a manner that suggests perhaps the 2027 elections are already won.
“The first test of Mark’s leadership is the extent to which he can mitigate all these and ensure that the ADC is not a party that will be controlled by godfathers.
“The leadership should be ready for mass exodus of leaders and members if within the next six months, the ADC emerges as another variant of our old party,” he cautioned, adding that “anything short of that will defeat the prospect of ADC to win 2027 elections,” he added.
PUNCH.
