FORMER Minister of Sports and Youth Development, Bolaji Abdullahi, has disclosed the circumstances surrounding his removal from the cabinet of former President Goodluck Jonathan in 2014, saying his refusal to publicly attack former Senate President Bukola Saraki cost him his job.
News Point Nigeria reports that Abdullahi, who served as a Federal Executive Council member representing Kwara State during the Jonathan administration, was relieved of his appointment in March 2014 amid a political realignment that saw Saraki defect from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the then newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC).
Speaking 12 years after the incident, Abdullahi, now the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) said his dismissal was rooted in his decision to remain neutral in the political feud that followed Saraki’s defection.
The former minister made the revelation on Wednesday while appearing on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
According to him, President Jonathan was scheduled to visit Kwara State to campaign shortly after Saraki’s exit from the PDP, and he was expected to lead efforts to reclaim the party’s structure in the state and mobilise support for the president.
“At that time, Saraki had just left the PDP to join the APC. I was the most senior political appointee from Kwara in the federal government, and I was expected to take over the PDP structure, fund it and lead the president’s campaign,” Abdullahi said.
He explained that during the campaign visit, political actors in Kwara openly criticised Saraki, and pressure mounted on him to publicly join the attacks against his former principal.
“When we got to Kwara, everybody was attacking Saraki. I was expected to also join in and attack Saraki, but I said no. It was a matter of principle for me,” he stated.
Abdullahi said the situation placed him in a difficult position, describing it as being caught between loyalty to his former boss and allegiance to the president he served.
“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 time,” he said.
Despite the eventual fallout, Abdullahi said he bore no bitterness toward President Jonathan or his administration, noting that he anticipated the consequences of his stance.
“I did not feel bad serving in President Jonathan’s government. I actually expected to be sacked because I made it clear that while I respected and served the president, I would not turn against Saraki,” he added.
Abdullahi had a long political relationship with Saraki, dating back to his time as Governor of Kwara State. He served as Saraki’s Special Assistant on Communication, Special Adviser on Policy, and later as Commissioner for Education before his appointment to the federal cabinet.