PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari would prefer men of integrity like Malam Salihu Mustapha if the president were to make his pick among the people jostling for the APC national chairmanship job.
A former Director of The Buhari Organisation (TBO), Malam Ballah Usman, made the disclosure in Abuja on Monday.
Usman was speaking at the inauguration of the national leadership of the Grassroots for Saliu Mustapha Campaign Headquarters.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mustapha has been a top contender among APC stalwarts jostling to clinch the chairmanship position of the ruling party.
“It is only Saliu Mustapha that does not have any integrity issue,’’ Usman said, describing Mustapha as coming to the contest with a clean slate unlike the other contestants.
“If it was up to President Muhammadu Buhari to make a pick among those jostling for the APC National Chairman, he would pick Mustapha.’’
Usman said that Mustapha was a former National Deputy Chairman of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change and a member of the APC Presidential Campaign Councils in 2015 and 2019.
“The president would always consider integrity, agility and loyalty in making his pick and of all the contestants, only Mustapha ticked relevant boxes.
“Mustapha is not only one of the first generation Buharists, he also comes to the table of the contest with a clean slate.
“He is unlike other contestants, who have had running battles with anti-graft agencies.
“It is only Saliu Mustapha that does not have integrity baggage. He is a successful businessman and a consummate politician.’’
Usman said that other contestants had one or two integrity issues around their necks, adding that the development makes them unsuitable for a position as sensitive as the party’s national chairman.
“Mustapha is young, agile, smart and calculative. He is a bridge between the generations of the young and the old.’’
According to the former TBO director, Mustapha comes into the contest with adequate experience in party administration. He will do things differently to the admiration of all.
Usman pleaded with state coordinators of the Mustapha Support Group not to relent in their efforts, saying that they should double their efforts at canvassing for Mustapha.
He told the support group to ignore insinuations that a particular candidate had been endorsed by Buhari, describing the insinuation “as outright falsehood that should be ignored’’.
Meanwhile, Usman has inaugurated a five-member steering committee to aggregate and coordinate activities of various support groups of the Mustapha campaign project across the country.
The committee is led by Mr Olayiwola Suleiman from Kwara with Ishiaq Adamu from Sokoto State as Publicity Secretary, while Yusuf Muideen serves as Secretary. (NAN)
