In a recent statement, Salihu Lukman, the former vice national chairman, North West of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has criticized the leadership of President Bola Tinubu and expressed his reasons for resigning from the party, during an interview with The Sun.
In a candid chat with journalists, Lukman addressed various national issues, including his lack of confidence in the electorate's support for him in the upcoming general elections.
Lukman admitted that the APC has not met its campaign promises.
He highlighted issues of security, economy, and corruption as areas where the party has underperformed.
Before the 2023 election, Lukman had hoped the APC leaders would acknowledge the challenges and address them.
Lukman criticized Tinubu's approach to governance, comparing it with the founding vision of the APC as a social democratic party.
He stated that social democratic parties prioritize citizens' wellbeing, focusing on education, health, and social welfare.
He expressed disappointment with Tinubu's early decisions, particularly the suspension of social investment programs.
He also criticized the allocation of N15 trillion for the Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, suggesting that a portion of this amount could have been better invested in education and security.
Lukman argued that addressing the issue of 10 million out-of-school children in the North requires huge investment in education.
"APC was founded on the vision of being a social democratic party. Social democratic parties prioritize the wellbeing and condition of living of citizens, issues of education, issues of health, issues of social welfare, and that should be reflected in public investment. Unfortunately, what are the first steps Asiwaju took, apart from the fact of the attack of corruption, social investment has been suspended which is why the question of responding to hardship is so weak."
"Also look at the major decisions of President Bola Tinubu, spending N15 trillion on Lagos-Calabar coastal highway, imagine if a fraction of that amount is invested in education and in terms of education we talk about 10 million out of school children in the North. You cannot solve that problem by business as usual, allocating a meagre amount to education and expect classroom blocks, teachers to be recruited, teaching materials to be procured with the meagre that have been allocated there now," he said.