A former member of the All Progressives Congress National Working Committee, Salihu Lukman, has declared his intention to campaign against President Bola Tinubu and the APC-led administration, accusing the president of derailing from his promises to Nigerians.
Lukman, who actively supported and campaigned for Tinubu’s presidency, made this known on Arise TV’s The Morning Show on Tuesday, February 4, 2024. He challenged Tinubu to prove him wrong, stating that he would not hesitate to apologise if the president demonstrated a commitment to his earlier pledges.
Explaining why he initially backed Tinubu’s presidential bid, Lukman said he believed the former Lagos State governor to be a true democrat and progressive leader.
“I had the conviction that President Asiwaju is truly a progressive politician and a Democrat, which was why I invested my support in him, but once I saw him departing from those beliefs I had, I didn’t wait any longer. And I was not pushed by anybody… I am humble enough to admit that my judgement was wrong,” he said.
Issuing a direct challenge to the president, Lukman added, “It is a challenge for President Asiwaju to prove many of us wrong, and if he did so, I would be the first to come out and apologise again, I was wrong. But to the extent that he continues arrogantly in the direction he’s going, without remorse that he has departed from all the promises he made to Nigerians, I have no apology to him, and I will continue to stand and campaign against both the APC and his administration. I have no apology for him, and I will continue to stand and campaign against him and the APC administration.”
Lukman, who has recently joined calls for a political coalition to unseat Tinubu in 2027, urged opposition leaders to engage in competitive politics to wrest power from the ruling APC.
In a piece titled “Re: Early Outline of the Permutations for 2027”, he expressed confidence that Nigerians could challenge politicians and reclaim their democratic rights through a robust and competitive electoral process..
