A former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Lukman, has stated that the party is damaged and currently worse than the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Lukman, in an interview with Channels TV on Friday, attributed the damage to the APC’s past leaders, accusing them of betraying the trust placed in them.

“In APC, we invested every trust in the leaders and at the end of the day, leaders betrayed that trust, and that is why APC is damaged today, whereby it is worse than the PDP,” Lukman stated.

Lukman, who recently defected to the African Democratic Congress (ADC), believes the APC’s failure stems from its inability to uphold internal democracy and effectively direct elected representatives.

He criticised the party’s leadership, stating that it has been hijacked by a culture of imposition, where political tickets are handed to individuals based on their ties to the presidency rather than genuine competition within the party.

However, Lukman emphasised that the ADC would handle things differently, ensuring elected officials remain accountable to the party and deliver on campaign promises.

“The ADC as a coalition, I see it as a platform for struggle. We have to engage our leaders. The mistake many of us make is to imagine that leaders are rational and, left on their own, they will do the right thing,” he said.

Lukman outlined the ADC’s objectives, stating, “Our objectives of forming the coalition is to organise it in such a way that if we produce the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and governance, all those people will be accountable to the party and the party will properly direct them to deliver services based on the electoral promises as provided in the manifesto of the party.”

He expressed confidence that the ADC has learned from the APC’s mistakes and would prioritise internal democracy and accountability if the party produces Nigeria’s next president in 2027. (Nigerian Tribune)