Lukman cautions, ADC coalition doesn’t want a ‘Buhari personage’, political office aspirants now must reach out with humility to convince voters
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
*********************************
“What we must learn, most especially in the coalition, is that we don’t have somebody with the kind of intimidating profile like that of the late Buhari.
“What that means is that all the leaders of coalition needs to be humble and acknowledge that they need one another and in the context of that, develop a strong team work.
“I think that is the challenge we are all facing. Our leaders must have a kind of team spirit.
“It is not about succeeding to defeat APC and Tinubu but succeeding to produce a new, fresh political template that will begin to meet the expectations of Nigerians.
´That is what I have been emphasising on. We must try to build a strong political party ….
“I am aware, being somebody from the North, I know that many politicians looked forward to him raising their hands and endorsing them. That translated almost into victory in many places in the North. And that, in a way, made politicians to be lazy.
“Now we don’t have any figure like that, which is why today I am one of those in the coalition who keeps raising the point that leaders of the coalition must remember, we don’t have somebody like Buhari anymore, who, when he raises your hand, it translates into victory.
“What that means is that politicians must be humble and begin to engage citizens with more listening ears and disposition when they promise and win election to begin to meet those expectations of citizens.
“And we have to work hard.
“The challenge of having somebody like Buhari now absent in Nigerian politics is that politicians must realise, especially those who want to contest election, if they are to win election, except if they want to rig, they must be humble and relate to citizens with a higher level of humility rather than the current arrogance” – Lukman.
*********************************
Salihu Lukman, former All Progressives Congress (APC) North West Deputy Chairman, has counselled members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) coalition to be humble and build a strong team spirit if they hope to defeat Bola Tinubu and the APC in the 2027 vote.
The death of former President Muhammadu Buhari signifies the end of an era of raising someone’s hand and automatically translating it into election victory, warned Lukman, who has since defected to the ADC.
He stressed on Arise Television that even before Buhari died a vacuum had been created, which cast doubt on his ability to influence electoral victory the old way.
“What we must learn, most especially in the coalition, is that we don’t have somebody with the kind of intimidating profile like that of the late Buhari,” Lukman stressed.
“What that means is that all the leaders of coalition needs to be humble and acknowledge that they need one another and in the context of that, develop a strong team work.
“I think that is the challenge we are all facing. Our leaders must have a kind of team spirit.
“It is not about succeeding to defeat APC and Tinubu but succeeding to produce a new, fresh political template that will begin to meet the expectations of Nigerians.
´That is what I have been emphasising on. We must try to build a strong political party.”
Lukman explained further on another programme on Channels Television that when Buhari was alive, most aspirants to political positions concentrated more on being in his good books, instead of going out to negotiate good relationship with citizens that would translate into votes.
“I am aware, being somebody from the North, I know that many politicians looked forward to him raising their hands and endorsing them. That translated almost into victory in many places in the North. And that, in a way, made politicians to be lazy.
“Now we don’t have any figure like that, which is why today I am one of those in the coalition who keeps raising the point that leaders of the coalition must remember, we don’t have somebody like Buhari anymore, who, when he raises your hand, it translates into victory.
“What that means is that politicians must be humble and begin to engage citizens with more listening ears and disposition when they promise and win election to begin to meet those expectations of citizens.
“And we have to work hard.
“The challenge of having somebody like Buhari now absent in Nigerian politics is that politicians must realise, especially those who want to contest election, if they are to win election, except if they want to rig, they must be humble and relate to citizens with a higher level of humility rather than the current arrogance.”
Lukman described Buhari as a great politician.
“In contemporary Nigeria, I wouldn’t say in all of our history, he stands out as one of those politicians who commanded a lot of popularity.
“And his popularity, especially in the Northern part of the country, cannot be in any way doubted. And to a large extent, his popularity made it possible for the APC merger of 2013-2014 to be consummated.”
Read also:
 coalition to be humble and build a strong team spirit if ....){kind=link}