{"id":119224,"date":"2025-05-28T15:21:31","date_gmt":"2025-05-28T14:21:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/?p=119224"},"modified":"2025-05-28T15:21:31","modified_gmt":"2025-05-28T14:21:31","slug":"coalition-no-automatic-tickets-for-candiates-lukman-cautions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/pointblanknews.com\/pbn\/news\/coalition-no-automatic-tickets-for-candiates-lukman-cautions\/","title":{"rendered":"Coalition: No automatic tickets for candiates \u2013 Lukman cautions"},"content":{"rendered":"<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">By Myke Agunwa<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Former Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Northwest Dr. Salihu Lukman has cautioned the leaders of the major opposition coalition to distance itself from handing out automatic tickets to candidate, including the president, sitting governors, or lawmakers, in the buildup to the 2027 general elections.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He said that the providing equal level playing ground is very critical in every democratic setting adding that internal democracy and accountability are critical to reshaping Nigeria\u2019s political landscape.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">In an interaction with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Lukman outlined the coalition\u2019s vision for a new political template that prioritises merit over entrenched interests.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He stressed that elected officials must be held accountable to both their party and the electorate, warning that the absence of such accountability undermines democracy.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lukman stated, \u201cNeither the president, governors, nor lawmakers should be granted automatic tickets or endorsements.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cWhile President Buhari benefited from an automatic ticket during his second term, the fact that it happened in the past does not make it right. If a mistake was made, we must acknowledge it as such.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lukman also addressed the contentious issue of candidate selection, insisting that party members must have the right to choose candidates through transparent processes.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He revealed plans to establish a blueprint committee to develop a comprehensive strategy for engaging state governments across Northern Nigeria, focusing on pressing issues such as poverty, education, and governance.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cOur commitment is to approach these challenges differently, and this must be made clear from the outset.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cWhen we talk about moving forward, we envision a political party that breaks away from the traditional model where candidates are chosen based on cultural or entrenched positions, and once elected, remain unaccountable,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">The former APC chieftain further criticized the lack of viable alternative parties in Nigeria, accusing defectors to the APC of acting out of self-interest rather than public service.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He specifically condemned sitting governors who switch parties to secure second terms, describing such actions as a betrayal of public trust.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lukman said, \u201cIt\u2019s particularly concerning when sitting governors defect to the APC simply to secure a second term.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cIn my view, such individuals may not deserve their positions in the first place. The Constitution grants governors certain privileges to enable them to focus on delivering selfless service without fear of losing their status. Yet, we see individuals who clearly do not merit these privileges exploiting the system.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">On the debate over whether the coalition should field a Southern candidate in 2027, Lukman maintained that equity and fairness must be balanced with democratic principles.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He argued that the candidate with majority support within the party should emerge, but cautioned against stifling internal competition.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He explained, \u201cThe notion of conceding implies that an election within the party will not take place.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cOur fundamental principle is that an election must occur, and the candidate with the majority support should be fielded. Issues such as equity and the argument that it is the South\u2019s turn to lead for another eight years will be factored into the party\u2019s internal negotiations.\u201d<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">Lukman called for the coalition to prioritize building strong party structures led by individuals of integrity, rather than surrogates of aspiring candidates.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">He warned that failing to do so would result in a repeat of past failures, where party leaders lacked the stature to hold elected officials accountable.<\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"text-align: justify;\">\u201cOur priority is to ensure the party has the right leadership; leaders who are not surrogates of aspiring candidates but individuals of integrity who can hold others accountable. For example, a national chairman should have the stature to address the president if they are acting inappropriately,\u201d he said.<\/div>\n<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on the_content --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on the_content -->","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Myke Agunwa Former Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Northwest Dr. Salihu Lukman has cautioned the leaders of the major opposition coalition to distance itself from handing&hellip;<!-- AddThis Advanced Settings generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Share Buttons generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><!-- AddThis Related Posts generic via filter on wp_trim_excerpt --><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":119225,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-119224","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v26.8 - 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