By Demola Akinyemi
Ilorin — Former minister of youths development and erstwhile spokesman of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi yesterday declared his Kwara State governorship aspiration with a charge to the citizenry to beware of those spewing anti-Saraki slogans.
“Some people will come here and tell you that they want to take you away from Saraki, my father was a Kwaran, Saraki didn’t ask me who my father was before he made me commissioner here, same with all others. There is no liberation that we want more than what we are enjoying in Kwara,” Abdullahi said in Ilorin yesterday as he formally made his entrance into the contest on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.
“We know their antecedent, they are full of deceit, instead of telling what they will do, they will start abusing Saraki, don’t mind them they don’t have any meaningful thing to offer you,” Abdullahi added.
Abdullahi’s strong defence of the Saraki brand is not surprising given his sense of loyalty to the Senate President. He was sacked as minister of sports by President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014 after he refused to take the bait from some PDP strong men to abuse Saraki at a rally in Ilorin.
He also resigned his position as National Publicity Secretary of the APC in August after Saraki a week or so after Saraki left the position in his strong identification with the principles that Saraki espouse.
Several loyalists of the Saraki political family led by the incumbent Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Alhaji Sola Gold were present at the declaration yesterday.
The declaration was unprecedented among the loyalists of Sarakis political family in the state, as other aspirants only made their intention known through posters, billboards, and press statements.
He said: “I am contesting because of the youth challenge in our state. We must struggle to ensure that children of the masses are also successful like I am today. My father was a tailor and farmer; I attended public schools, today God has helped me.