2023: APC, PDP must run issue-based campaigns – Lukman

Salihu Lukman, a former director-general of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF), says it is imperative for Nigerians to challenge the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to adopt issue-based campaigns for the 2023 elections.

Lukman said issue-based campaigns should be about correct and honest assessment of challenges facing Nigeria based on which campaigns of political parties and candidates propose policy responses by governments they control when elected.

He noted that the ability of political parties and their candidates to propose policy responses, which meet the expectations of Nigerian, should be primarily the determining factor for electoral victory.

The former PGF DG who now identified himself as Freelance APC Campaigner, made these assertions in Bi-weekly briefing paper made available to journalists in Abuja on Sunday. According to him, the campaign messages coming from the PDP leaders is that they are on a mission to rescue Nigeria, claiming that APC government has mismanaged the economy, divided Nigerians and created insecurity.

“When therefore APC leaders and members allow PDP leaders to continue to make all manner of inaccurate claims against the APC, it is injurious to the electoral profile of the party and its candidates in the 2023 elections.

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“It is very necessary to appeal to APC leaders to recognise that Nigeria, being a democracy, require that our party is proactive and take steps to set the tune of the campaigns for 2023 election.

“Setting the tune for the 2023 campaigns is mainly about correct and honest assessment of challenges and how the APC, being the governing party, is working to resolve the challenges.

“With all the records of bad governance under the sixteen years of PDP, on the one hand, and the initiatives being implemented by the APC-led government of President Buhari, the question of comparative review of performances of both parties as drivers of the Federal Government shouldn’t be a matter of convenient claims by any politician, especially opposition politician, including PDP leaders”, he noted.

Lukman said looking at all the evidence of the economy, poverty and challenges of insecurity, PDP was only able to speak out and make all the allegations of failure against the APC-led government of President Buhari because APC leaders decided to mute themselves at a time when they should be mobilising Nigerians to review progress and challenges of delivering on campaign promises made since 2015.

He lamented that instead of taking steps to mobilise Nigerians to review progress and challenges as part of preparations for 2023, APC leaders and members were being held captive by the Mai-Mala Buni led Caretaker and Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC).

The freelance APC campaigner said instead of working to organise a national convention where a new leadership was expected to emerge, the CECPC has constituted itself into a ‘Frankenstein monster’ working to destroy the party. He called on every committed party leader and member to rise to the challenge of compelling Buni and his team of undertakers to hands off the party by ensuring that the February 26, 2022 national convention was successfully held.