Senator Saliu Mustapha formally dumps APC
* As Kwara PDP mocks AbdulRazaq
Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin
The Senator representing Kwara South Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Saliu Mustapha, has formally resigned his membership from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
In a statement in Ilorin, Mustapha, who is the Turaki of Ilorin, said: “Following careful considerations of the recent developments in the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State, I have formally resigned my membership of the party in the state
“This is not a decision I have taken lightly. It follows weeks of extensive consultations and engagements with relevant stakeholders, my supporters, constituents across Kwara Central Senatorial District, and well-meaning Kwarans.
“As a politician, I have always believed that politics must be about people, principles and purpose. Where the path of a political platform no longer sufficiently aligns with these convictions and the aspirations of the people one represents, the honourable thing to do is to chart a new course.
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To the leadership of the APC ably led by H.E. President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, I express my deepest gratitude for the relationships and experiences I have been afforded over the years.
“To my constituents, supporters, political associates and stakeholders in Kwara State and beyond, I assure you that while my political platform may change, my principles, my purpose and my commitment to the people remain unchanged.
“I remain steadfast in my service to the people of Kwara Central, Kwara State and Nigeria at large.”
Meanwhile, the Kwara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the Senator’s resignation from the ruling party as “a devastating confirmation that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has failed both his party and the people of Kwara State”.
The PDP, in a reaction by its State Publicity Secretary, Olusegun Olusola Adewara, said: “The exit of such a prominent serving Senator, founding APC figure and respected traditional title holder from the ruling party has further exposed the deepening crisis and leadership failure that Governor AbdulRazaq can no longer conceal with propaganda, social media optics and image laundering, noting that the APC in Kwara can now be perfectly described as a runaway car heading to doom, yet being controlled by a blind and deaf driver.
“The PDP noted that Senator Mustapha’s resignation came only days after another prominent APC figure and Haske of Lafiagi, Ambassador Kolo Baba Jiya, alongside several APC leaders from the Kwara North axis, also severed ties with the ruling party.
“Governor AbdulRazaq has failed his party just as he has failed the people of Kwara State. He now presides over a party that is fatally fractured, internally weakened and increasingly rejected by ordinary Kwarans. Beyond pretence and social media optics, the Kwara APC under Governor AbdulRazaq can no longer deny the obvious: its centre can no longer hold.
“The resignation of Senator Saliu Mustapha is not an ordinary political development; it is a loud confirmation that the leadership crisis in the APC has reached a dangerous and irreversible stage. A Governor who cannot unite and retain the prominent leaders within his own political household cannot be trusted with the larger responsibility of providing stable and inclusive leadership for a complex state like Kwara.”
“What is happening to the Kwara APC today is not just political migration. It is the inevitable collapse of a party built on lies, deceit, image laundering targeted at innocent families, and evil propaganda of 2019. When a house is built on quicksand, it does not take much for it to collapse.
“The tragedy of the AbdulRazaq-led APC is that it has been led by a Governor who appears uncomfortable with the political growth and stature of other prominent Kwara people, treating perceived political competitors as threats that must be eliminated from his political journey at all costs. The movement of key stakeholders, such as Ambassador Kolo Baba Jiya, now a serving Senator, is proof that even those who helped build the APC have lost faith in Governor AbdulRazaq’s leadership.
“The PDP therefore called on other distinguished Kwarans who remain in the APC merely out of shame associated with leaving the party to summon the courage to take a bold step before the situation becomes irredeemable. The party urged them to follow the example of Senator Saliu Mustapha and other prominent leaders who have chosen to reject what it described as a failing and skidding political vehicle.”
