Ex- Minister Announces Withdrawal From Politics After APC Primary, Turns To God

Former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, has announced his withdrawal from active partisan politics.

Shittu, a lawyer and founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), made the declaration during an interview on SYMFONI.

He explained that his decision was based on alleged manipulation, the imposition of candidates, and the lack of internal democracy during the just-concluded primary of the ruling party.

He stated 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”.

“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,” he said.

Aside from the immediate dispute over the primaries, Shittu 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.

Reflecting on his political journey, Shittu lamented that Nigerian politics demands enormous sacrifices, financial resources and personal commitment, yet often leaves participants frustrated and disappointed.

The former minister 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 had been deceived and that the process had allegedly been settled in favour of a preferred aspirant long before the primary election was held.

“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.

He questioned 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.

The former minister 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.

He further argued that provisions of the Electoral Act had left many aggrieved aspirants politically trapped, as participants in party primaries could no longer defect to other parties to pursue the same positions.

“In this playhouse involving the 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.

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