Saliu Mustapha, the lawmaker representing Kwara Central, has accused Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of poorly managing members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.
Mr Mustapha stated this in a Channels TV interview on Friday, hours after he resigned from the APC.
“Kwara, which is more or less a civil service, has the highest number of aspirants in APC. If there had been proper management and sense of belonging, we wouldn’t have got to this level,” the lawmaker said.
Mr Mustapha, who noted that they were alienated by the way Mr Abdulrazaq was running the APC in the state, however, declared his support for President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid.
He noted, “I haven’t dumped President Bola Tinubu. The rainbow coalition has extended to Kwara too. We felt alienated from the way and manner Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq is running APC in Kwara.
Noting that all his supporters and members of the Kwara G15 would support the PDP in the 2027 election, the politician accused Mr Abdulrazaq of trying to build a new dynasty in the state.
“I can tell you categorically that every member of G15, Otoge Progressives and elder caucus are (sic) all favourably disposed to supporting PDP candidates in the state.
“So many parties reached out to us. But we decided to partner PDP so as to put an end to the dynasty or shenanigans about to brew its head in Kwara State,” he added.
Mr Mustapha said that former Senator Bukola Saraki’s support for Mr Tinubu would brighten the president’s chances in the state in 2027.
“Bukola Saraki isn’t contesting for anything today. He’s also supporting the rainbow coalition that will enrich President Bola Tinubu’s chances in Kwara State,” the lawmaker stated.
Meanwhile, Mr Abdulrazaq’s aide, Ibrahim Abdullateef, accused Mr Mustapha of being a mole in the APC, adding that his grievances were connected to his loss of the governorship ticket.
“Senator Saliu Mustapha was a mole in APC. He wanted to destroy the party before he moved to PDP and failed. He is just bitter and sour because he could not win any ticket in the party again. All his allegations were manufactured to tarnish the image of the Governor who is now his opponent. It is politics taken too far.
“APC remains the biggest and most loved party in Kwara by the people. The Governor has no interest in building a dynasty, his legacies are sufficient to speak for him. Our party will be rewarded with votes for the remarkable achievements it has posted in the last 7 years. Senator Saliu Mustapha will find out too late that he is on a joyless and fruitless mission,” Mr Abdullateef stated.
Mr Mustapha, who was part of the Otoge campaign that dislodged the Saraki-led PDP from power in 2019, exited the APC after losing the 2027 governorship ticket.
All the aggrieved governorship aspirants recently petitioned Mr Tinubu, calling his attention to the leadership crisis rocking the party in the state.