Succession: Don’t follow Obasanjo’s example, Lukman warns Buhari

By Tom Okpe and Stephen Gbadamosi

A member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has cautioned President Muhammadu Buhari on the need to be conscious of his legacies and avoid falling into the temptation of unilaterally picking his successor.

Lukman, National Vice Chairman, North-West, in the Senator Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC, gave the charge in an open letter to the president on Wednesday in Abuja.

Noting that it would be “democratically risky and very costly” to allow the president do so, Lukman urged President Buhari not to copy what he described as “the anti-democratic credentials of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, who foisted his successor, the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, on the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and went on to rig the general election to ensure his emergence as president.”

Lukman, in the piece, entitled; “Succession and 2023 APC Presidential Candidate: Open Letter to President Muhammadu Buhari,” was apparently reacting to the outcome of Tuesday’s meeting between President Buhari and APC governors.

During the consultative meeting with Progressive Governors’ Forum on Tuesday, the president had alluded to the propensity of governors having a hand in their successors, suggesting that same should be allowed to happen in his case.

He, therefore, solicited for support of the governors and other stakeholders in picking “his successor who would fly the flag of our party for election into the office of the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023.”

Noting that ordinarily, this should not be a problem, as both party members and leaders, would always trust the president’s judgement, Lukman, however, noted that “the big worry is whether loyal party leaders and members should just reduce themselves to being ordinary observers, when very sensitive issues with very high potential to diminish and damage Your Excellency’s revered status in the country is being considered.”

In the piece, titled: “Succession and 2023 APC Presidential Candidate: Open Letter to President Muhammadu Buhari”, Lukan wrote: “The current phenomena of poor relations between predecessors and successor governors are largely a product of poorly instituted political succession arrangement in the country, which is impulsive and imposing, it will be highly risky to adopt the same succession framework as it can erode all your lifelong achievements as someone who contribute a lot to strengthen Nigerian democracy.

“During the consultative for re-election’ and ‘second term Governors accorded privilege of promoting successors that are capable of driving their visions’, Your Excellency solicited for ‘reciprocity and support of Governors and other stakeholders in picking’ your successor, ‘who would fly the flag of our party for election into the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023.’

“This simply means that you want to exercise the same privilege, which is being exercised by Governors in determining who succeeds you as the standard bearer of our party, APC, for the 2023 Presidential election. Ordinarily, this should not be a problem.

“Both party members and leaders will always trust Your Excellency’s judgement. However, the big worry is whether loyal party leaders and members should just reduce themselves to being ordinary observers when very sensitive issues with very high potential to diminish and damage your revered status in the country is being considered.

“Perhaps, it is important to emphasize that your contribution towards strengthening Nigerian democracy should not be reduced to your emergence as the elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2015.

“Your most important contribution has to do with the leadership role you played in facilitating the merger negotiations of opposition parties, which produced the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013 and eventually, providing the highly inspirationally measured leadership, which defeated the Peoples’ Democratic Party, (PDP) in 2015.

“As President of the Federal Republic and leader of APC, you have continued to provide that measured leadership, which has been largely responsible for our electoral victories since 2015. More than anytime, at this point, when you will not be on the ballot in 2023, your measured leadership will be much more required to guarantee us sustained electoral victory”.

He further buttressed that as a party, APC must be able to demonstrate much more sensitivity to the challenges of national unity by ensuring that the eventual standard bearer for the 2023 Presidential election embodies commitment to equity and justice as the underlying principles sustaining the corporate existence of Nigeria as a united country.

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“This is not just about representation in terms of where the candidate comes from but mainly about the negotiation framework leading to the eventual selection of the candidate.

“It is important therefore to caution our party that we must keep faith with basic tenets of democracy as our major campaign message to Nigerians for the 2023 elections. This was eloquently highlighted in Your Excellency’s message to our Progressive Governors when you stated that ‘the key to electoral successes is the ability to hold consultations and for members to put the nation above other interests.’

“The temptation for leaders to choose their successors is democratically risky and very costly. If in 2013/2014, Your Excellency, could submit yourself to internal democratic process, it is important that your successor also follow the same process.”