Saliu Mustapha, senator representing Kwara central, says former Senate President Bukola Saraki is backing the rainbow coalition constituted by Nyesom Wike for President Bola Tinubu’s second-term bid.
Mustapha spoke on Friday during Channels Television’s
Politics Today, where he discussed his defection from the All Progressives
Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The senator said that despite his exit from the ruling
party, he is still actively supporting the president’s re-election bid.
He said the rainbow coalition, established in Rivers state
by Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), has made inroads into
Kwara.
“I have not dumped President Bola Tinubu. Like the
honourable minister of FCT said, this rainbow coalition has extended to Kwara.
That is part of what you are seeing. And that is why it was deliberate to have
picked the PDP as our platform,” Mustapha said.
“If you look at Bukola’s politics today, Bukola is not
contesting for anything. He’s neither contesting for senate or governorship.
Bukola is also supporting the rainbow coalition that will enrich President Bola
Ahmed Tinubu’s chances.”
When asked whether Saraki is also a supporter of President
Tinubu despite being members of different political parties, Mustapha said,
“yes, just like the honourable minister of FCT”.
The senator said his defection was also influenced by The
Otoge Progressives (TOP), which he said emerged from a group known as G15,
which comprises governorship aspirants who contested the APC primary but failed
to secure the party’s ticket.
“It is not just Senator Saliu Mustapha. It is as a result of
the coalition; we call it TOP, the Otoge Progressives, which came about from
the formation of the G15 and other aspirants with the elder caucus, who have
all felt alienated by the way and manner Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq is running the
APC in Kwara,” the senator said.
He listed himself, Yahaya Seriki, Ibrahim Oloriegbe, Dele
Belgore, Alhaji Muhideen, Oyelola Ashiru and Sadiq Umar as members of the
group.
‘THE COALITION CONTRIBUTED TO MY APC EXIT’
Mustapha declined to confirm whether the lawmakers in the
G15 are still APC members, but insisted that the rainbow coalition contributed
to his decision to leave the party.
“Well, like I said, this is a rainbow coalition that has
given birth to my leaving the APC to get the ticket of the PDP Kwara central
senatorial seat,” he said.
Shortly after quitting the APC on Friday, the senator picked
the PDP senatorial nomination form for Kwara central district.
The senator said he secured the ticket through substitution
rather than by participating in a primary following a waiver given to him by
the party.
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