Former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Bolaji Abdullahi, has shed light on the circumstances that led to his removal from office by former President Goodluck Jonathan in March 2014.
He attributed it to his refusal to publicly attack ex-Senate President Bukola Saraki during a political campaign in Kwara State.
Abdullahi, who represented Kwara State in the Federal Executive Council under the Jonathan administration, said his dismissal followed a clash of political expectations at a critical moment when Saraki defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the then newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking on Politics Today on Channels Television, Abdullahi, now the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said he found himself trapped between loyalty to his political mentor and allegiance to the President.
“There is always a price to pay because you find yourself caught in between. You are not being asked to take sides in a battle that you hardly understand most of the times,” he said.
He explained that ahead of President Jonathan’s campaign visit to Kwara, he was expected, as the most senior political appointee from the state, to take control of the PDP structure, finance party activities and spearhead the campaign against Saraki.
“Why was I sacked? President Jonathan was going to Kwara to campaign and that was the time Saraki left the PDP to join the APC.
” I was expected as the most senior political appointee from Kwara to take over the PDP structure, fund it and lead the President’s campaign,” Abdullahi said.
According to him, the campaign atmosphere was dominated by attacks on Saraki, and pressure mounted on him to join in.
“When we got to Kwara, everybody was attacking Saraki. I was expected as the most senior political office holder to also join and attack Saraki and I said no. So it was a matter of principle,” he added.
Despite his eventual removal, Abdullahi said he harboured no regrets about serving in Jonathan’s government, noting that he had anticipated the outcome once he chose to maintain loyalty to Saraki while continuing to work with the President.
Abdullahi previously served as Saraki’s Special Assistant on Communications, Special Adviser on Policy, and later as Kwara State Commissioner for Education during Saraki’s tenure as governor.
