The Director General of Progressive Governors Forum, PGF, Salihu Lukman has on Tuesday, August 18, 2020 urge the immediate past Chairman of the All Progressive Congress, APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomole to understand how to endure dissenting views.
Lukman said his critique of the past Chairman of the party was never an instigation but his own personal opinion towards the mode of campaign adopted in Edo State.
According to the DG -PGF “When I commit an offence, based on my upbringing in that environment, I never transfer any of my offences to my parents or to any of my senior ones. I was always made to account and where there is the need as part of that accountability for me to be punished, I get punished. Having said that, I am open and ready to account for whatever I had said to the party and the leadership; if in the end, the process of accountability requires that I get sanctioned, I will accept and I will remain in this party (APC) and continue to contribute in whatever way I can to help the development of the party.
“I account for my ‘offence’. Nobody should transfer my offence to any other leader of the party. I take responsibility and all that I have said, you all have it. It is written in ink. It is not verbal communication that I can dispute. They are written documents.”
“I have said it over and over again and I will repeat it- I am a proud member of the APC and my membership of APC supersedes any other responsibility that I may be called to discharge. I believe today in Nigeria, APC is about the only political party where internal contestation is permissible and to some extent, people like me are enjoying that privilege on account of availability of such a space.
“No. I have said it before and even in the last statement in the submission to Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee, I am very proud to work for progressive Governors and no doubt people would have individual positions on the position that I have taken but as far as I know, I think it encourages me that our leaders are truly disposed to engagement when it comes to issues of ideas on how to develop this party.
“So, it is not a matter of running away from certain issues that I had raised. I talked about the dangers of a single story as espoused by Chimamanda and I did not want the story that is all over the air now around what Comrade Oshiomhole said to be the only or single story. I want people to hear from me. I mean, I respect him and that is it.”
“At the moment, I am confident about the Caretaker Committee. They are working and I am absolutely sure they will begin to address the issues in no distance time.
“Whether they will have a problem of time? We will cross the bridge when we get there. I think it is better to have that approach than to set out with the mindset that there will be a problem, we will continue to belabour the matter and that will distract them from focusing on the real issues. That is my position.” The PGF DG said.
Olaoluwa Adekunle
