Olayiwola Matthew
The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, has rejected reports that link him to an opposition alliance and claim he has adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) as his political platform.
In a statement released on Sunday, Mustapha labeled the reports as “fake news,” asserting that he has not participated in any discussions with opposition members or their coalition partners.
“My attention has been drawn to a news story in circulation associating me with the opposition alliance and their choice of the ADC as their political party,” he said.
“I want the general public to know that this is fake news. I am not in any opposition alliance, and I am not in any discussion with those who are involved.”
The former SGF recalled his position as deputy national chairman of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) before the merger that birthed the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“As the deputy national chairman of the ACN, the largest political party with six governors at the time of the merger and the formation of the APC, I can rightly claim that I am one of the founding fathers of the governing party,” Mustapha said.
“I cannot, therefore, in all reasonableness, walk away from a party I helped to form.”
He added that while the APC, like any political organisation, has its challenges, the solution is to work from within rather than defect to another platform.
“If our party has problems, as all the other parties do, we will stay at the party and fix those problems. We don’t solve problems by decamping to other parties,” he added.
Mustapha, who was the Secretary to the Government of the Federation from 2017 to 2023, has urged the public to dismiss any speculation to the contrary.
Similarly, on Friday, Akinwunmi Ambode, the former governor of Lagos, denied reports that he was planning to run for governor under the ADC party, calling them “false publications” designed to cause distractions.