[Op_Ed] : Of Kwara and Asiwaju’s minister choice – By Idris Onimajesin

In the 2023 general election, the feat Kwara State pulled off for the All Progressives Congress (APC) is one for the books. The ruling APC won the presidential election with a very wide margin in the state. It also went further to clinch all the National Assembly seats. What’s more, APC also retained the gubernatorial seat and cleared all the seats at the house of assembly except one. This kind of amazing feat was not recorded in many other states of the federation.

The feat would not have been possible if some forces had had their way. Most unfortunately, ministers of the APC government not only worked against their party, they were alleged to have sponsored opposition politicians with huge funds too. But thanks to the outstanding performance of Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq which put these forces to shame.

With this benefit of hindsight therefore, it is not surprising that members of the APC family in Kwara State are now advocating that the ministerial positions of the state be handed to core, loyal party men. This is just as they are appealing for the maintenance of the two ministerial slots Kwara State enjoyed under the last administration. Well, for me, it’s deserving for the state considering its feat and the massive solidarity it rallied for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

I align with their sentiments. Asiwaju must reward loyalty, hard work and commitment to party. Our ministerial appointments should end up in the hands of competent, loyal and faithful party men. We can never afford doling out ministerial appointments to people who are not trusted or reliable. Ministerial appointments should go to those who laboured for the Kwara victory and therefore understand the pains it took to get the victory.

Various groups within the APC family in Kwara State have recently been drumming support for Ambassador Yahaya Seriki Gambari. Yes, he’s very deserving for the role. Seriki, if you ask me, has paid his dues as far as APC is considered and his loyalty to the Governor and contributions to the party and state in general are not in doubt.

We won’t forget that Yahaya Seriki was the ‘four star’ political general who led the Kwara APC Campaign Council as Director General, giving the party a resounding victory across the board. He mobilised resources, networks, spent energy and time for the sweet but hard-fought victory to happen.

His disposition as a genuinely committed APC party man did not just start. We’ll never forget in a hurry how he led the charge for a common front that the party needed to defeat the Saraki establishment in 2019. He sacrificed his ambition to lead the way for a united front by teaming up with AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq who was also an aspirant at the time. We won’t also forget the several roles he played to ensure the victory of the party in the 2019 election. Moreso, the statesmanship and sportsmanship he demonstrated during the 2023 primary election where he lost his senatorial bid to Saliu Mustapha. Some contestants have remained bitter over the incident till today. Not for Yahaya Seriki who has continued to stand with the party at both the national and state levels. Hallmark of a sportsman, indeed.

Yahaya Seriki is a young politician with a vast network and acceptability amongst the people. He easily connects with the youth constituency, women, elites, traditional institution, religious institution and many more. So therefore, he possesses the requisite characteristics to become minister in the emerging cabinet of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He’s a competent hand too who discharges whatever role assigned to him with total commitment and dedication. A workhorse!

Our new President is a man known to be an outstanding leader who cherishes party loyalty and commitment to party as well as hard work. Yahaya Seriki does not only have these qualities, he’s also a successful investor in the private sector. By appointing Seriki as minister in his cabinet, Asiwaju would have settled for the popular choice. And by extension, he would be buying one and getting one free: Seriki the political juggernaut and Seriki the experienced business man.

As Asiwaju leads Nigeria to prosperity and renew our hope in this great country, we want to see Kwara-born Yahaya Seriki making history with him.

Onimajesin writes from Ilorin West Local Government Area of Kwara State