APC Now Runs Like A Monarchy, Has Lost Democratic Ideals – Salihu Lukman

Former National Vice Chairman (Northwest) of the All Progressives Congress, Salihu Lukman, has declared that the ruling party has completely deviated from its founding principles, stating that it now operates more like a monarchy than a democratic institution.

Lukman, who resigned from the APC in 2023, citing betrayal of democratic values, made the remarks during an interview on Arise News on Wednesday, where he reflected on Muhammadu Buhari’s legacy, the internal decay within the APC, and his vision for a new political coalition.

While paying tribute to the late former President Buhari, Lukman described him as a paradoxical figure, noting that his greatest strength, non-intervention, was also his biggest failing.

Lukman said, “The paradox of late President Buhari is that his weakness is his strength. His weakness is that he had this non-interventionist attitude, where he tolerated almost everything around him.

“That appeared to be his strength, but that became the bigger challenge.”

He argued that Buhari’s accommodating style hindered decisive leadership and allowed the party structure to deteriorate under his watch.

“While President Buhari was alive, we were unable to use the freedom he gave all leaders to develop the party. Instead, what happened is that the party was sacrificed,” he said.

According to Lukman, the APC has regressed into a shadow of its former self, losing the internal checks and balances that once made it a party of promise.

“APC has crashed from a party with a lot of promises to almost a party that is more or less serving its organ, and more or less serving like a midwife,” he lamented.

He accused the party of reducing itself to a cheerleader for elected officials, rather than acting as a watchdog or strategic guide.

“When a party reduces itself to almost like a kind of cheerleader, singing praises of elected representatives, then we can as well just have a monarchy,” Lukman warned.

Lukman described the current APC as a hollow structure, where critical party organs no longer function and major decisions are taken without consultation.

“Most state governments don’t hold executive council meetings. The party organs don’t function,” he said.

He added that the collapse of internal democracy has made the party incapable of self-correction or meaningful evaluation of its performance in government.

Commenting on the recent resignation of Abdullahi Ganduje as the APC National Chairman, Lukman said the outcome was inevitable given how internal agreements had been consistently undermined.

“Once you undermine agreement within the party, you make yourself vulnerable,” he noted, hinting that Ganduje’s leadership alienated key stakeholders and further eroded confidence in the party’s structure.

Having exited the APC, Lukman said he is now focused on building a fresh coalition — one that prioritises democratic values and avoids the strongman syndrome.

“We don’t have somebody with the kind of intimidating profile as that of late President Buhari in the coalition,” he said, arguing that humility among leaders may be a better foundation for democratic growth.

“All the leaders of the coalition need to be humble and acknowledge that they need one another,” Lukman added.

He stressed that the goal was not merely to defeat APC or President Tinubu, but to establish a “fresh political template” that genuinely reflects the aspirations of Nigerians.

Lukman concluded by advocating for internal democracy, collective decision-making, and accountability, all traits he believes have been lost in the APC’s recent evolution.