BY LAWRENCE ETIM.
To most Nigerians it will come as great shocker to hear that the removal of the Minister of Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, from office yesterday has been traced to his failure to openly associate with the political interests of the President in Kwara State. Abdullahi, a former commissioner in Kwara State under the regime of former Governor Bukola Saraki may also have been dropped for his failure to openly disavow Saraki’s leadership of the state.
The former Minister of Sports, Abdullahi, according to sources, had refused to openly associate with the new leadership of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, after Saraki and his followers defected from the party to All Progressives Congress, APC. He was absent at the stakeholders’ meeting summoned by the state PDP caretaker committee, drawing insinuations of double loyalty from some political stakeholders in Kwara State.
It was gathered that the final straw that might have broken the camel’s back was the rally at the reception in Ilorin, where he failed to address the audience to reaffirm his loyalty to the PDP government. He was at the Emir of Ilorin’s palace when President Jonathan paid homage to the Emir. The organisers of the rally did not recognize him and it was suggested that the failure to recognize him was due to assertions by his associates that he, Abdullahi, is not a politician but a technocrat.
Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday, swore in 11 ministers and assigned them portfolios. Jonathan charged the new ministers to see public office as public trust and to serve people without fear or favour.
