For many in Ilorin, particularly around the Emir’s palace, the last Eid-el Kabir celebration stood out because of some big events and big people that came into town, necessitating some political tension.

There was the erstwhile former Senate President and state governor, Bukola Saraki, and the anxious moments he created at the Yiddi Praying Ground in the state capital on account of his political rivalry with the state’s incumbent governor, Abdulrahaman Abdulrazak.

Even so, was the President Muhammadu Buhari’s Chief of Staff, Prof Ibrahim Gambari, in Ilorin for the Muslim festivities and other ceremonies that came with it.

Few people, however, would have paid much attention to the presence in Ilorin and later at the palace during the festivity of a tall, fair skinned soft spoken and regally looking politician, Mallam Saliu Mustapha (MSM), later elevated, turbaned as new Turaki of Ilorin.

Nor the fact that the brand new traditional chieftain had a number of quiet meetings with Prof Gambari, Aso Rock’s administrative major domo, first at the Emir’s palace, then at the Presidential Lodge with the Governor Abdulrazak, in attendance.

There was, however, a renewed vigor, later of MSM’s campaign to emerge as national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). There were fresh posters around city centers in the state capital, radio talks on local stations and heated debates on newsstands.

Fewer people, still, would have connected the events with political events playing out around who eventually emerges as APC’s national chairman. But then, such is the nature of succession politics. Tiny events, innocuous meetings that,on its own, appears insignificant.

But when placed side by side with events playing out elsewhere, the picture becomes clearer. And discerning observers see the making of a major political positioning.

The events around MSM in Ilorin, to insiders who understand the nature of political dogfights going on in the ruling party, appear to confirm speculations on a clear choice of where powerful interests in the party want the APC chairmanship to swing.

“It isn’t that there are no other candidates in the race. As a matter of fact, the positioning of MSM is a direct response to the emergence of other contenders and what the party stakeholders feel will be to their own interests ahead 2023,” explained a former national working committee officer to Sunday Independent on the matter.

As at the last count, there are three contenders apart from MSM. They are Umaru Tanko Almakura, former governor, Nasarawa State; Abdulazis Yari, former governor, Zamfara State and then the latest entrant, Sen Alli Modu Sheriff, also former governor. While there were quiet optimism in the camp of MSM, initially, that the duo of Almakura and Yari may cancel each other out on account of both being former governors, therefore already coming in with interests, stakeholders in the party are looking to avoid pitfalls that happened under its previous substantive chairman, Adams Oshiomole, also a former governor.

But, the entrance of Sheriff has set fresh sets of alarm bells ringing in the ranks of the APC.

“A man with Alli Modu Sjeriff ’scolourful past is what the party should avoid now,” explained the newspaper’s source. Until his return to APC a few years ago, the former Borno State governor was in People’s Democratic Party (PDP), where he also emerged the party chairman. His tenure would never be forgotten by the opposition party after he almost grounded PDP on account of an alleged presidential ambition while still holding reigns as the party chairman.

There are fears too that his tenure as governor may hurt APC badly, it was learnt by the newspaper. His tenure inexplicably berthed and nurtured Boko Haram after he offered its founder, Yusuf Mohammed, place in his state.

Intelligence also suggests that his ill advice to Late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua led to the unconscionable extra judicial execution of the Boko Haram leader, which made insurgency virulent in the North East.

That reputation, notwithstanding, political pundits still insist a man like Sheriff is not hobbled easily once he sets his mind on a target, gets one foot into the political fighting.

“It’s best you don’t even countenance his candidature in the first place. How did he get himself appointed as PDP national chairman despite the bad reputation? Even the opposition party knows that it was only by the grace of God, perhaps the sagacity of Ahmed Markafi and the Supreme Court that saved PDP from Sherrif,” explained a deputy governor from a North Central State to the newspaper.

Even more, there are thinking in the party suggesting that with the zoning of the presidency either to the north or south yet to be settled, MSM is by far a safer bet. Yari is North West just like Sherrif is North East. Both are far north by any reckoning. Either of them getting the party chairmanship automatically means the presidency slot is zoned south.

Almakura, though North Central like MSM, is still considered too Pro Northern inclination and political affiliation to afford the zone a chance consideration of the presidential slot. MSM’s Kwara is considered more as bridge between north and south of the country. With his choice as party chairman, the presidential slot could still go either way, to the north or to the south.

“A lot of people at the decision making level in the party are sold on this thinking,” explained the deputy governor. According to him, this and other personality profile of MSM appears to be working for the candidate.

By far, says multiple sources on MSM, his undivided loyalty to the party and closeness to the President’s political family makes him the perfect candidate, according some interests in the APC.

For instance, many recall the events 6, October 2018 that ordinarily would have had MSM jettison the party.

At 10.05am on Saturday of the said date, at the commencement of the gubernatorial primaries of APC in Kwara State, a strange and sudden announcement was made on a federal radio station in Ilorin to the effect that a leading gubernatorial aspirant had been ‘disqualified’ from contesting the elections.

That candidate was Saliu Mustapha, arguably one of the top three contenders bookmakers had predicted would carry the day at the primaries. The other two were a former Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ilorin, Prof. Shuaib Oba Abdulraheem and a member of the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission (RMAFC), AlhajiShuiabYamanAbdullahi.

While the duo of Oba and Abdullahi came second and third respectively at the primaries as predicted, Saliu Mustapha was left in the cold, smarting bitterly from a ‘coup’ mischievously orchestrated against him by some unnamed powers-that-be in the middle of a contest he was all but billed to win.

By the time the dust would settle over the confusion generated by the radio announcement, the primary had been concluded and won.

It was therefore no surprise when the National Working Committee of the party led by its former Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomole apologized to Mallam Mustapha over the unauthorized announcement of his purported disqualification. An apology letter personally signed and issued to him by the ex-National Chairman of the Party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, said Mallam Mustapha was cleared by the National Working Committee appointed screening panel as a governorship aspirant to contest for the primary election, but his disqualification was erroneously announced by “unknown source” when voting was midway.

The party said it regretted the embarrassing mischief directed at the governorship aspirant during the primary election by a faceless individual, adding that it regarded Mallam Mustapha as an outstanding and loyal stakeholder and leader in its resolve to unify and strengthen the party, particularly in Kwara state.

“I trust that this unfortunate incident will not in any way weaken your resolve to contribute and sustain your valuable support in the shared commitment and determination to collectively work with others to enthrone new political order in Kwara state in 2019 elections “, the APC ex-chair said.

In the wake of the crisis, all eyes were set on Mallam Mustapha as political watchers and party faithful were uncertain about the politician’s next move. Many opined that he would jump ship and work for the then ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State, while some said he would remain in the party without significant contribution to its success in the general elections. In fact, an Ilorin-based Senior Advocate of Nigeria had offered a free legal consultation to Mustapha to sue the APC for what he described as an ‘unprecedented act of injustice’ meted against him at the polls.

However, Mustapha would shock many shortly after the controversial primary when he donated his campaign office in support of the party’s flagbearer, AbdulrahmanAbdulRazaq, thus re-affirming his commitment to the Otoge Revolution that would later sweep through Kwara in the general elections.

As if not enough, Mustapha mobilised several millions of Naira in personal till and from vastly rich network of friends across the country in support of virtually all the candidates of the APC that contested the 2019 elecrions in Kwara state. He subsequently apologized to all his aggrieved supporters to take solace and work for the victory of the party.

So could the chairmanship position of the party be MSM’s big compensation for the fortitude? Only time can tell.

(Sunday Independent)

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