By Fred Itua, Abuja
Saliu Mustapha is a politician and a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He was the national deputy chairman of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), one of the defunct political parties that merged to form the APC. He is a successful businessman, an outstanding entrepreneur and a remarkable philanthropist. In this interview, he spoke on his planned reforms in APC if elected as the party’s national chairman and on other issues
Many Nigerians outside the ruling APC and the political class are not privy to who you are. What are your antecedents?
My name is Saliu Mustapha, a development and commercial real estate consultant; a consummate progressive by choice, and a passionate patriot by conviction. I’m running for the office of the National Chairman of our great party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). I have the privilege of being one of the senior figures in the defunct CPC, which pulled through the merger with the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to form the party that ended the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) 16-year hold on power at the centre.
There are many unanswered questions on how the pre-2015 merger of major political parties was pulled off. Looking back, would you say the APC has delivered on its change mantra?
So, how were we able to achieve this momentous feat? We focused on politics with a heart; with the people in mind from the rural areas to the metropolis, and from the grassroots to the urban centres. We embodied the hopes of a better country and better politics in 2015 with the change mandate, and the people showed their trust and belief in us by electing us for a second term in office in 2019. We also brought more states under the APC banner as our message of progressive change caught the imagination and hopes of the people. I must commend the brilliant efforts of our party leadership and all previous executives for laying a proper foundation that could easily be built on. But even at that, we must first put our house in order.
Currently, APC appears to have lost its direction. If elected, what should Nigerians expect?
As I said earlier, I am aspiring for the position of APC national chairman. The question some may ask is, why? The answer is not too far-fetched because the time has come. My objective is to lead the party to a new era of sustained victories, progressive policies, dignified politics and national development. No member of the ruling party can deny that we have had some challenging periods, one of which birthed the current Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) led by Governor Mai Mala Buni. I recognise and sincerely appreciate the brilliant efforts of each member of the committee and promise to build on the gains achieved as well as mitigate the lows.
The core of my message today is that the time has come for our great party to embrace the future and optimise its mandate and potential. We have succeeded in righting the course of the nation through the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. But, what happens at the end of the eight-year tenure of President Buhari? Where do we go from here, especially as our great leader would not be on the ballot in 2023? As an aspiring national chairman of the party, I believe APC needs to consolidate its message and find the best way to build on the success stories of this administration, which I know are numerous in spite of the challenges. As one who has grown within the political system, and a bridge between the past and the future, I have the distinct advantage of an unbiased perspective. I have seen the issues and I have identified the winning formula.
I will fortify our wins and reduce opportunities for corrosive developments. I will lead from the front by providing firm, inclusive, proactive, disciplined, fair and transparent leadership as APC chairman. The proposed party governance approach under my stewardship will ensure that members are recognised and acknowledged. Programmes and plans of the party will be inclusive, strategically crafted, robustly debated and judiciously implemented. Even families have disagreements and there is bound to be friction, but I will ensure that proper and transparent conflict resolution frameworks are in place. The younger generation of APC members, as well as the older ones, has nothing to fear as I am well placed as a bridge between the two. I am one of the older generations and I am also one of the younger generations. I am a bridge for the future with the consciousness and values of the past. So there is, indeed, no cause for any concern.