By Abiola Olawale
A former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Salihu Lukman, who is believed to be a political ally of immediate past governor of Kaduna, Nasir El-Rufai, has alleged that several Northerners in the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu have been relegated to mere cheer leaders.
Lukman who recently resigned his membership of the APC also alleged that the Tinubu government of playing politics with issues affecting the Northern region, including insecurity, poverty, unemployment, and drug abuse.
The former APC Chieftain in a statement titled , ‘Explosive North: Open Letter to Northern Politicians, further alleged that Vice President Kashim Shettima; Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume and some other Northerners in government have turned themselves to a choir group singing ‘on your mandate we stand’.
He called on the Northern appointees ro acknowledge their role in the region’s downturn and take concrete steps towards redemption by tackling the pressing issues affecting the North.
The statement reads in part: “So far, one year has pass into President Asiwaju Tinubu administration. No doubt, Northern political leaders are becoming weaker and more disorganised. Even the Vice President, Sen. Kashim Shettima GCON, who is the highest office holder and by virtue of that should have served as the needed rallying point for Northern politicians, is anything but a political leader.
“With every respect, hardly any official of the current administration of President Asiwaju Tinubu from the North, including Sen. Shettima, is willing and able to take the needed risk to defend the interest of the North. Painfully, what is emerging is that most leaders from the North are more concern about self-preservation in the government.
“Because of self-preservation, already scheming for 2027 has commenced. Within the Presidency there are indicative cold war dynamics and positioning, which is alleged to be responsible for the praise-singing disposition of Vice President Shettima. The National Security Adviser (NSA), Mal. Nuhu Ribadu has devalued an exalted office almost to the status of a Protocol Office to President Asiwaju Tinubu.
“Virtually all other Northern politicians holding offices in this government, including the Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), Sen. George Akume are absentee public servants who have been reduced to members of a choir group poorly singing ‘on your mandate we stand’ irrespective of the shaky and staggering reality being demonstrated by the mandate holder with reference to poor service delivery and crashing living conditions in the last one year.”
