APC National Chairmanship: The Avalanche Of Support For Saliu Mustapha

By Oyewale Oyelola

Mallam Saliu Mustapha is a successful businessman and decent politician from Ilorin in Kwara State. Saliu Mustapha is a core progressive and has always aligned with progressive-minded politicians since his days in the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) to Congress for Progressives Change (CPC) where he served as the Deputy National Chairman (North).

Mustapha with other sincere, committed and patriotic Nigerians amidst all odds promoted the candidacy of President Muhammadu Buhari starting from 2007 in the ANPP and 2011 on the platform of CPC and gave it their ALL leading to impressive outing across northern Nigerian states. 

The humble, diligent, upright, committed and patriotic Nigerian joined likemind politicians across the country to form the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2013 and strategically secure their support to get APC presidential ticket for the then General Muhammadu Buhari. 

Thereafter, Saliu Mustapha played key role in Buhari Campaign Organization and Buhari Support Organization in the build-up to 2015 general elections. People that are familiar with the intrigues of the election described Saliu Mustapha as one of the Buhari's top guys who went extra mile for actualization of Buhari Presidency.

Fastforward to 2019, the Ilorin born politician provided necessary support for the actualization of the OTOGE Revolution in Kwara State and also aspired to be Governor on the platform of APC. He garnered party faithful support ahead of primary election and was hoping to. deploy all his machinery to end the misrule in the state. Surprisingly, the unthinkable happened on the day of the primary election; unidentified sponsor announced his disqualification on a radio station to confuse party members who already queued behind Saliu Mustapha across 193 wards in Kwara state. 

Although, Saliu Mustapha had every reason to seek redress in court of law or play the role of spoiler like some aggrieved party stakeholders did in Zamfara, Imo and Rivers States but the decent politician simply ignored the action of compromised few and redirected his focus towards the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari as well as the OTOGE Revolution. 

For records, Saliu Mustapha donated his Campaign Office to Buhari Osinbajo Campaign Organization and rebranded the Secretariat. He consistently provided logistics support for APC throughout the electioneering campaigns period and kept his supporters on the field to ensure overwhelming victory of the party.

Apart from that, Saliu Mustapha continue to strengthen the party in Kwara state despite shenanigans of some sycophants fanning ember of division to secure patronage from government. He consistently provides logistics support for Kwara APC leadership amidst neglect from political office holders. He has also used his humanitarian gestures to attract many people into the party in Kwara state and beyond.

The avalanche of support from different organizations within and outside Kwara state that followed the unveiling of his intention to run for APC National Chairmanship show acceptability of his candidacy. 

Without mincing word, Mallam Saliu Mustapha is the kind of national chairman the ruling party needs ahead of another battle. The party needs an astute administrator, tactful, deft, balanced and diplomatic leader that will consolidate on their gains and create more friends for the party with his calmness, humility and tolerance.

Oyewale is a Public Affairs Analyst, he writes from Ado-Ekiti.

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