A former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, says he has lost faith in President Bola Tinubu’s leadership, admitting he no longer believes the President can achieve anything meaningful before May 2027.
Speaking on Sunday, April 27, during Inside Sources with Laolu Akande on Channels Television, Lukman said he has realised Tinubu is not the progressive leader he once admired.
He argued that Tinubu’s approach to governing Nigeria differs greatly from his time as Lagos State governor between 1999 and 2007.
“For you to even expect something very wonderful to happen before May 2027, I will say you are a dreamer, I will wish you luck in your dream, but if it happens, it will be a pleasant surprise,” Lukman said.
“For me, I have reached the conclusion that I don’t think anything good is going to come out and which is why we have to start organising.
“I have said so, this country can be fixed in our lifetime, and I pray to God to give us the strength and courage to engage our leaders.”
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Lukman explained that he withheld his support for Tinubu until July 2023, after observing that the President had become inaccessible, even within the APC.
He said he initially believed Tinubu would correct the mistakes of his predecessor, Muhammadu Buhari. However, Tinubu’s failures, he noted, have ironically made Buhari look like a hero.
Reflecting on the APC’s shortcomings, Lukman stressed the need for the emerging opposition coalition to be founded on stronger principles.
“If having gone through the APC and failed, we now organise another coalition that will become business as usual, which is why this initial negotiation we are really engaging ourselves.
“So, we really have to, we owe it to Nigerians, and I am telling Nigerians that look, it is possible to fix this country in our lifetime,” he said.
He blamed the collapse of the APC on the party’s failure to uphold its internal structures and insisted the same mistake must not be repeated in the new coalition being planned.