A former Vice-Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the North-West, Salihu Lukman, has accused President Bola Tinubu of making impulsive decisions.
Lukman, a former Director General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum, made the allegation in a statement on Saturday.
He also said since the assumption of office of the President on May 29, 2023, “major policy decisions have been taken impulsively without clearly defined plans, at least not shared with Nigerians”.
“Three good examples are the issue of removal of subsidy on petroleum products, floating the exchange rate of the Naira, and sanction against Niger Republic following the coup of July 26, 2023.
“Arguably, with respect to all these issues, it is as if government first announce decisions before beginning to think in terms of what needs to be done to manage the consequences that followed,” he stated.
Lukam said that had the government of President Tinubu come up with an articulated policy plan oriented to implement both the APC manifesto and Renewed Hope 2023, the government may have saved itself the problem of limiting itself to only reacting to challenges produced by its policies.
He alleged that the President has completely insulated himself from all structures of the party as a few party leaders have access to him.
“From the time of former President Buhari to today’s President Asiwaju Tinubu era, the orientation of government and party politics is that the President is omnipotent, who no one can question. This has continued in a worse form under President Asiwaju Tinubu largely because at least under former President Buhari, he never invokes his omnipotent status to nullify subsisting agreement within the party.
“Interestingly, President Asiwaju Tinubu who is expected to be more democratic and progressive as well, one of the first exercise of his omnipotent leadership is to nullify zoning agreement within the party by moving the position of National Chairman out of North-Central to North-West with hardly any consultation with party leaders in both the two zones,” he stated.
“With APC now increasingly becoming a closed shop with virtually all its organs demobilised and the omnipotent status of the President strengthened, what is the future of the APC? Being an envisioned progressive party but end up producing progressive governments in reverse gear, what is the implication?
“Is it a question of leaders becoming indifferent to the electoral fortunes of the party? Does the fact of being indifferent to the electoral fortune of the party also mean being unconcerned about the future of democracy in Nigeria?”
“What Nigerians are having today wasn’t what was promised at all. The most disturbing reality is that given that the current economic hardship is produced during the first term of President Asiwaju Tinubu, with no end in sight, does it then mean that President Asiwaju Tinubu is not interested in second term? Certainly not.
“If he is interested in second term, why is he managing affairs of government like a military dictator, shutting down the structures of the party and talking down on citizens like a philosopher king who has absolute knowledge of what will produce possible happiness for citizens?” he queried.
