Former Director General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors’ Forum, Salihu Mohammed Lukman, has come under the fire of the Imo State government, which has said that he is mole of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the ruling APC.
In a statement, Oguwike Nwachuku, Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to Governor Hope Uzodimma, said that comments credited to Lukman in the media have confirmed the fears of APC chiefs that he was working at cross purposes with his former employers, the APC Governors, and was, indeed, holding positions that supported those of the PDP and “few APC members known for anti-party activities.”
The statement wondered, for instance, why Lukman should dare bring the name of Gov. Uzodimma “into the picture of his thoughtless and careless statement” that some respected APC leaders, including Governors were holding the party captive and working with the Caretaker Committee Chairman, Gov. Mai Mala Buni of Yobe state against the National Convention of the party because of their presidential and vice-presidential ambitions.
Alleging that Lukman was on the verge of being sacked before he “hurriedly resigned his appointment” as DG of Progressive Governors Forum, the Imo State government statement said that he deserves pity, having lost touch with the current reality in politics and must retrace his step if he does not want to confirm that he is, indeed, a mole in the APC.
Full text of the statement reads:
Lukman, Ex-DG Progressives Governor’s Forum acting as a PDP Mole
The former Director General of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF), Salihu Mohammed Lukman has demonstrated beyond reasonable doubt that he is a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) mole in the midst of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Lukman, who recently hurriedly resigned his appointment as DG of the PGF to avoid a pending sack over unbecoming demeanour has continued to run his mouth in ways that suggest that his sojourn in the midst of progressive politicians in APC was nothing but a design to spy on the Party in the interest of his co-conspirators in the opposition PDP.
On Monday, February 21, Lukman was credited by a section of media to have accused some respected APC Leaders, including Governors, of holding the Party captive and working with the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) against the February 26 Convention that has been postponed to March 26.
Ordinarily, we would have ignored Lukman if he did not have the misfortune of bringing the name of Governor Hope Uzodimma of Imo State into the picture of his thoughtless and careless statement.
“Interestingly, perhaps except for His Excellency, Dapo Abiodun, three of them – His Excellency Mai Mala Buni, His Excellency Yahaya Bello and His Excellency Hope Uzodimma – are all aspiring to become Presidential or Vice-Presidential candidates,” Lukman reportedly said.
It is obvious that Lukman had been engaged by enemies of democracy to deliberately discredit respected APC Governors and Leaders like Uzodimma just because their selfish political permutations are not working out.
Even when Governor Uzodimma, barely two weeks ago, came out to distance himself from any Presidential contest, Lukman would deliberately overlook that to make insinuations that were borne out of hatred for Governor Uzodimma due to the latter’s rising profile in APC and the trust his colleagues have reposed on him because of his many years of experience in politics and sincerity of purpose.
One would have thought that Lukman must have learnt his lesson by now given that he is still being haunted by the illogical spirit that led to his near sack in office recently. But how wrong can we possibly be!
As an aide to the body of Governors, Lukman probably saw himself in the mould of His Excellencies and would not humble himself to take directives from his bosses in the interest of their States in particular and the Country at large.
He was therefore, in good stead, issuing controversial statements that were not only antagonistic to the leadership of the Party he pretends to be part of but quite anti-thetical to the views of his bosses.
Few weeks out of office, Lukman is behaving true to type – a mole planted amidst the APC top echelon to spy on them.
Why would Lukman’s feeling about the postponement of the APC Convention be in sync with the feeling of the opposition politicians and the few APC members known for anti-party activities?
Regardless of those Governors and CECPC Members Lukman was content discrediting, could it have been possible to move the date of the Convention without the buy-in of the leader of the Party, President Muhammadu Buhari?
The point is that Lukman deserves our pity. He has lost touch with the current reality in politics and except he retraces his steps by committing whole-heartedly to the supremacy of the Party encapsulated in the power invested in the leadership, it would be difficult for him to deny he is not a mole in APC.
Oguwike Nwachuku
Chief Press Secretary and Media Adviser to the Governor
February 22, 2022
