Tinubu Rewarding Governors for Doing the Wrong Things – Ex-APC Chieftain Lukman

By By Kamal Yalwa: August 1, 2025

Salihu Lukman, a former National Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and now a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has criticised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for enabling what he described as financial recklessness by state governors.

Speaking during an interview on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television programme, Lukman accused the president of continuing to release large funds to state governments without putting mechanisms in place to ensure accountability.

“Yes, the president has said the right things, but what is he doing to ensure governors do what they need to do?” Lukman queried. “What I see him doing is rewarding them for doing the wrong things.”

His remarks follow President Tinubu’s recent call for governors to invest more in poverty alleviation and make governance impactful at the grassroots level. Lukman, however, expressed doubt about the sincerity of that message, claiming that governors remain unaccountable due to their control of party structures.

“Once the structure of the party is subordinated to them, they will continue this arrogance—converting public resources as if they are personal property,” he said.

Lukman also criticised the APC’s ongoing recruitment of opposition politicians, particularly governors, suggesting the party prioritises political expansion over integrity and service delivery.

“When your party’s recruitment strategy is based solely on expansion without demanding accountability, the goal of many is simply to be in power, not to deliver services,” he said.

He further accused APC leaders of betraying the trust of members and the electorate. “We invested every trust in our leaders, and at the end of the day, they betrayed it. That is why APC is damaged today—it is even worse than the PDP,” Lukman stated.

Now aligned with the ADC, Lukman said the party is working to build a credible alternative that will ensure governance is accountable to the people through party-led oversight mechanisms.

“Our objective is to organise the party in such a way that governance aligns with the manifesto and remains accountable to the party structure,” he concluded.