Adebayo Shittu, who was the Minister of Communications during the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari, has announced his decision to withdraw from active partisan politics.
The founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), made the declaration in an interview with Symfoni, cited alleged manipulation, imposition of candidates and lack of internal democracy during the just concluded primary of the party.
He maintained that his recent experiences in party politics had convinced him to redirect his energy toward Islamic Dawah and religious activities that are “more rewarding spiritually and morally”.
The lawyer said, “I am no longer interested in politics. I want to do Islamic Dawah because if you put even a quarter of the effort we invest in politics into God’s work, one will certainly be better compensated.”
Apart from the immediate dispute over the primaries, he said his decision to step away from active politics was further informed by the “increasing manipulation and deceptive practices within party structures”.
According to him, some powerful individuals now control internal political processes for personal interests, leading to unfair treatment of aspirants and the imposition of preferred candidates.
The former minister disclosed that the disappointments of politics have now strengthened his resolve to focus on religious service and Islamic propagation rather than continue in partisan struggles.
Reflecting on his political journey, he lamented that Nigerian politics demands enormous sacrifices, financial resources and personal commitment, yet often leaves participants frustrated and disappointed.
Shittu alleged that the governorship primary in his party had been predetermined despite aspirants allegedly paying ₦50 million each for nomination forms.
According to him, he was persuaded not to resign from his position as Pro-Chancellor of a federal university after being told that it was the wish of President Bola Tinubu.
“I had to ask whether I had truly been sent the message of Mr President. I was told the President said I should not withdraw from my position as Pro-Chancellor of the Federal University. Because I believed in the arrangement, I obeyed,” he said.
Shittu, however, said he later discovered that he was deceived and the process had allegedly been settled in favour of a preferred aspirant long before the primary election was conducted.
“It was much later that I discovered it had already been settled. I still thank God because I cannot imagine myself paying ₦50 million only to be told later that another person had already been anointed,” he said.
The former minister, who was gunning for the APC gubernatorial ticket in Oyo State, wondered why aspirants would be made to purchase expensive nomination forms if the outcome had already been decided.
“Why would people be asked to part with ₦50 million before announcing an anointed candidate without consultation with the rest of us?” he asked.
He warned that the dissatisfaction generated by the primaries could create long-term problems for the party ahead of future elections.
“When I said it was going to be a crisis, I meant that if this type of arrangement succeeds, it will definitely affect the fortunes of the party because many people involved are unhappy with the situation,” he stated.
Shittu further argued that provisions of the Electoral Act had left many aggrieved aspirants politically trapped because participants in party primaries could no longer defect elsewhere to pursue the same positions.
“In this playhouse involving State House of Assembly, House of Representatives and senatorial primaries, many of those who worked to produce this political structure through the amended electoral act will become the first casualties because once you participate in the primary, you cannot go elsewhere again,” he said.
It wasn’t lost on the ex-minister that several influential politicians, including former governors, senators and members of the House of Representatives, were affected by the fallout of the exercise.
He urged the party leadership to investigate petitions arising from the primaries and address complaints fairly to prevent deeper divisions within its ranks.
“If the leadership sits down and dispassionately considers these petitions and investigates them properly, it may help. But if candidates are imposed, you cannot force people to vote,” he warned.
Drawing parallels with past political experiences, Shittu recalled that he was also a victim of a similar arrangement during the 2019 elections despite serving in government at the time.
