Date: 2018-07-02

Some stalwarts of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State spoke to AHMED 'LATEEF on the re-election of Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi as National Publicity Secretary at the just concluded National Convention of the party in Abuja.

The national convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has come and gone but the post-convention issue has resonated in the political space, especially the emergence of some contestants in the make or mar convention of the party against the will of some invisible but powerful forces.

The convention was perceived as most decisive, understandably, because of the closeness of the 2019 general elections and coupled with the expected fallout, which could turn the party into cleavages.

Such atmosphere of gloom and uncertainty cannot be dismissed with a wave of the hand owing to the aggregation and congregation of APC as a political party. The APC, which has since assumed as the ruling party, came with shields of views, perceptions and different leading political figures in their own individual or group levels, thereby giving filip to the belief it was a marriage of inconvenience.

The APC was formed in 2013 by the defunct legacy parties including Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Nigeria People's Party (ANPP), new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) and a faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

Prior to the conduct of the national convention of the party, which held at Eagle Square, Abuja, which began Saturday June 23, a fortnight ago and dovetailed the following Sunday, tension and anxiety were at their peak as to whether the APC was finally heading for its total collapse.

The preceding state congress of the party was massively characterised by crisis, with parallel congresses as resultant effect. The outcome of the congress had interpretatively spotlighted what would be expected from the convention, and particularly with the looming crisis on the grievances of the defunct new Peoples Democratic Party bloc in the party.

Even Kwara State APC under the grip of the President of the Senate, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, was not immune from the States where parallel congress was held ahead of the party's national convention, and the delegates produced from the parallel congress insisted that they were the authentic delegates recognised by the party's National Secretariat.

This alone widened the fear and anxiety long expressed by some analysts that the ruling party was heading for doom. While this subsisted, the incumbent National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, had expressed his interest to seek re-election in the convention just like other positions in which some officials sought to recontest in line with the National Executive Committee (NEC) resolution that the incumbent willing to seek re-election can contest in the convention.

As Abdullahi announced his decision to occupy the office again, some politicians, who had hatched plans to ouster him, also signified interest in contesting the seat with him. From the homefront, Mr Lanre Onilu, also emerged as an aspirant in the contest for the post of the party's spokesman.

At the end of the convention in which some aspirants quitted the race mid-way and even at the convention ground, Abdullahi, a former Minister of Sports, won with over 2000 votes cast by delegates, trouncing his rivals in the contest in a landslide victory.

In an interview with The Herald yesterday, some party stalwarts in Kwara State, rejoiced over the victory of the APC spokesman at the convention, describing it as a validation of Saraki's political leadership in the state.

A party leader in Kwara South, Engineer Abdulrauf Kola Shittu, said there was no doubting the capacity of the former minister to continue to function in office as the image-maker of the ruling party, explaining that he is qualified for the job.

Shittu, who served alongside Abdullahi as Commissioner for Works and Transport in the state executive council, noted that he was able to galvanize huge votes at the convention, because he secured the support of most of the delegates.

He added that his re-election was a pointer to the strength of members of nPDP in the APC, saying that wishing the bloc away in the party was at its own peril.

Shittu said, "I'm particularly happy that Bolaji Abdullahi won his election in the sense that apart from being very qualified to hold that position, he has performed well in the few months he has been there. You would recall that he was put there not long ago. Because of all sorts of political wrangling here and there, people don't want him there, but we want to thank the Senate President Bukola Saraki and the Governor of Kwara State working very hard at the top level to ensure that States, apart from one, voted for him at the convention.

"Bolaji conducted himself very well at; he went round various pavilions together with the Governor of Kwara State at the Eagle's Square. So, we are really very delighted that he won this election for so many other reasons. It has put to shame some people, who are claiming that they are those recognized in Abuja. I think we have all seen the truth now. There is nobody who can destroy the Saraki's structure now or in the nearest future. So, we are really very happy about that election.

"The emergence of Bolaji at the election is not only solidifying the leadership of Saraki in Kwara politics even at the national level, it is a pointer that the Senate President is a very good leader, who cannot be wished away. That is very germane, and the result of that election has shown it all. And I'm sure, people, who don't believe in him now, would begin to think otherwise.

"We all know the antecedents of Bolaji Abdullahi, there is no assignment that you give to him that he does not do very well, judging from his experience as Special Assistant to the Governor in Kwara State, Commissioner and member of the State Executive Council and so on.

"Even looking at the time he was Minister, he performed very well. The little number of months he has spent as Publicity Secretary with the APC, he has performed very well. There is no doubt that in his new assignment now, he would perform well, and that is going to assist the party in achieving its aim of winning elections both at the State and Federal levels in 2019.

"Some people may want to say he is coming from nPDP. There is no crisis really between the nPDP and APC, we are only having dialogue to ensure that certain things that should be done are carried out. And the leader of nPDP, Alhaji Kawu Baraje, is leading the negotiation between the nPDP, the government and even the party itself.

"So, we are very optimistic that with the new national executive now on ground, their discussions would be very smooth and fruitful. Because the new Chairman of APC is somebody you know very efficient in handling issues. There is no conflict between the nPDP and APC.

"The result of Bolaji Abdullahi (at the APC national convention) has shown that you cannot wish the nPDP away. nPDP is very deep rooted in APC and very strong. There is no doubt about it. That is one of the things Bolaji Abdullahi's election has shown.

"And we are not fighting with anybody, our leaders have said so. We are only trying to ensure that the party and the government do the necessary things to encourage all the groups that came together to form the APC. There is no fight at all.

"My expectation from Bolaji Abdullahi is that he would continue to do his good job, he would continue to promote the ideals of APC; justice, progress and rule of law. I'm sure he is going to continue to advocate for all those. He would be defending the party in all sectors and he is very qualified to do so, judging from his antecedents".

Also speaking, the Chairman, APC in Kwara South, Alhaji Jimoh Balogun, said attempts were made to snatch the position of the National Publicity Secretary of the party from Kwara State but for leadership prowess of the Senate President and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.

He described the re-election of Abdullahi at the convention as a good omen for the ruling in the state and thanked Saraki and Ahmed for standing firmly behind him throughout the conduct of the exercise.

Balogun also stated that the victory of the former minister re-solidify the leadership of Saraki in the politics of Kwara and the nation as a whole.

In his reaction, the Director, Media and Publicity, ABS Mandate Constituency Office, Alhaji Abdullahi Oganija, said the election of Abdullahi at the just concluded convention was a reward for loyalty and commitment to Saraki's political leadership.

He said Abdullahi possesses the needed professional skills and exposures to manage the image of the APC

"The election of Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi would go a long way to add values to the image and growth of the party, more so, he had been doing that well since he occupied the position almost one and half years ago now", he said.

Oganija stated that the APC spokesman has been a good ambassador of the state at the national secretariat in his positive articulation of the party's affairs as far as image making was concerned.

While congratulating Abdullahi, the ABS constituency office media director also advised him not to relent in his efforts at making the party great.

The statement also called on other members of the party in the state to emulate his virtues and continue to be loyal to the leader and the party so as to assist the state to move forward.