The Director-General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), Salihu Lukman, said on Monday the state governors under the forum were working toward finding quick resolutions of the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Lukman, who disclosed this in a statement in Abuja, said the progressive governors were all individually and collectively committed to the development of the party.
The APC has been rocked by a fresh crisis, with at least five key members of the party defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the last two weeks over its poor handling of preparations for the governorship elections in Edo and Ondo states.
The crisis was further escalated following the suspension of the party’s National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, by the Court of Appeal.
The appellate court upheld the ruling of the FCT High Court, Lugbe, which had earlier ordered the former Edo State governor to stop parading himself as APC chairman.
Oshiomhole’s suspension threw up a leadership crisis in the APC with many chieftains of the ruling party including the former deputy national secretary, Victor Giadom, laying claim to the exalted seat.
The PGF chief said:
“In the context of the current challenges facing the party leadership, progressive governors are all working for the quick resolutions of the crisis.
“Although, approaches and perspectives of each progressive governor may vary, they have been able to debate and reach some consensus on the problems affecting the party as contained in the resolutions of the emergency teleconference meeting of Saturday, June 13, 2020.”
Lukman said part of the resolutions, which were made public included collectively working “to ensure strengthening of internal party mechanism for the selection of party candidates in all elections.”
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According to him, strengthening of internal party mechanism means that the party would recognise and respect the individual position of every leader and member.
He added: “Debates and contestation of positions will be encouraged in the party.
“Anyone who seeks to stifle internal debate within the party is only interested in destroying the vital progressive credential, which the party must have to be able to live up to its commitment of being a social democratic.
“Somehow, vested interests who may have been furtively peddling false allegations against some progressive governors for the perspectives they hold about the crisis facing the party, are doing everything possible to impose their fantasies.
“All other perspectives outside those fantasies are being criminalised and every attempt is being made to break the ranks of progressive governors. This is unfortunate.”
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