APC spokesman, Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, quits party

National Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), Malam Bolaji Abdullahi, on Wednesday announced his resignation from the party.

He said that he could not continue to function as spokesman of a party whose expectations of the role was incompatible with his personal principles.

Abdullahi, who announced his exit from the party in a statement in Abuja, also cited recent political development, especially in Kwara, his home state, as part of the reasons for his decision.

“In view of recent political developments in the country and within the APC, I have decided to resign my position as the National Publicity Secretary as well as my membership of the party with effect from today (Wednesday).

“In the last few days, I have had to endure the flagrant usurping of my role as the spokesman of the party in a manner that I consider unbefitting of a ruling party and inconsistent with my ethical standards.

‘In the same token, I can no longer justify to myself that I should remain in a party which has now made it clear to the world that the political group I belong is no longer wanted,” he said.

He said that he had served the APC honestly and to the best of his ability, adding that he stood for, and won election at the party’s recent national convention.

Abudullahi added that it was his desire to continue to do so, but that his loyalty was constantly brought to question by the party’s leadership.

He said his subordinates had been deployed to subvert his office while his views were constantly second-guessed.

Abdullahi said that on the basis of his political affiliation, it had become imperative for him to review his position.

He explained that since assuming office as the spokesman of the party, he had tried to set a new template for public political communications.

This, he said, was in a way that departed from the vulgar abuse and verbal aggression of the recent past “where cheap lies and crude propaganda were normalised as politics, and even celebrated as measures of competence”.

“Unfortunately, those who felt I was not forceful enough, framed my ethical disposition as evidence of a lack of commitment to the party,” he said.

He added that the unlawful dissolution of the validly elected party executive in Kwara earlier in the week by the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) was only another phase in the unrelenting assault he had had to endure.

Abudullahi noted that as a national officer of the APC and member of the NWC, his views should have been sought, especially since the matter concerned his state and he was directly involved.

He maintained that the dissolution of the Kwara executive of the party was disrespectful, saying

“Quite recently, we all took the oath to do justice to all and not allow personal interests to interfere with our official responsibilities.

“With this obviously presumptuous action, and the decision to appoint as chairman of caretaker committee, the same man who had emerged as the chairman from the parallel congress in my state.

“The NWC has taken sides, violated its oath of office and subverted its own credibility as an impartial arbiter.

“Yet, these are the same people that have continued to insinuate that others are serving interests other than those of the party,” he said.

Abudullahi remarked that politics was local, and that the issue of Kwara made it incongruous for him to continue to sit as part of the APC NWC.