Ahead of the national convention of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), a national chairmanship aspirant of the party, Mallam Salihu Mustapha, has said that the APC needs a generational shift in a new face with fresh ideas to win the next general elections.
Speaking as a guest at a news programme, tagged, ‘News Keg’, organized by the Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kwara State Council at the weekend, Mustapha said that he had not in any way felt intimidated or got worried about having former governors and senators as co-aspirants.
He also said that having him in charge of affairs of the APC will provide a platform to turn things around and sustain the vision of the party’s founding fathers.
“There was no need for such, the former governors also started from somewhere before getting elevated to national status. Discussions of the chairmanship race should not be seemingly reduced to ‘titles’ and ‘status’, but rather be made to centre on offering good leadership. Before they became governor, they were ordinary citizens, they were not born as governors or senators,” he said.
He also said that he would not expect his co-aspirants to consider it a ‘contest’ but rather an endorsement of what he represents.
“It should not be somewhat a cult thing and the media should help us to change the narratives. They should not see us as one that is recycling faces, we have opponents seeking to win people’s hearts, if the electorate can see a new face with new ideas, let us say four million people are APC members, we will need others to vote for our party, how do we enjoy their support if we do not connect with the people?
“That was why I expressed hope that my co-aspirants will not see it as a contest but rather an endorsement of what I represent,” he said.
Salihu, an indigene of Ilorin, clarified that his good relationship with Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq of Kwara State was not new-found and that they had long before now enjoyed ‘a great relationship’.
“I have had a longstanding relationship with the governor, don’t forget that I was the Deputy National Chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and he was the CPC gubernatorial candidate in 2011.
“He is the state governor and we are both APC members, we are working together to ensure we deliver on our campaign promises.
“However, it is a good development that my state is seen as supporting me, all politics is local, I’m enjoying the support of my state’” he said.
Programme highlights include Salihu’s investiture as Patron of the Correspondents’ Chapel and the formal presentation of the Hyundai bus he donated to the Correspondents’ Chapel.
Giving his acceptance speech, Salihu said he accepted the offer to be the chapel’s patron because journalists not only inform and educate the people but also mould people’s opinions and that he will therefore like to associate with such a segment of society.
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