By Muhammad Mamman
Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), has claimed that former President Goodluck Jonathan removed him from office as a minister because he refused to attack former Senate President Bukola Saraki during a political campaign in Kwara State.
Abdullahi made the disclosure in Abuja on Tuesday at the public presentation of his memoir, The Loyalist: A Memoir of Service and Sacrifice. He said his dismissal from the Federal Executive Council was not based on performance, but on his refusal to engage in what he described as “personal and political vilification” of Saraki during the 2015 electioneering period.
According to Abdullahi, he was pressured to publicly abuse Saraki, who had defected from the then-ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the elections. He said he declined the request on principle, insisting that political competition should not descend into personal attacks.
“I was asked to go to Kwara and publicly attack Bukola Saraki. I refused because I believed it was wrong,” Abdullahi told the audience. “Shortly after, I was removed as a minister.”
The former minister, who served as Minister of Youth Development and later Minister of Sports under the Jonathan administration, said the episode tested his understanding of loyalty in public service, a theme he explores extensively in his book.
Abdullahi noted that The Loyalist offers a candid account of his years in government, the moral dilemmas faced by public officials, and the personal cost of standing by one’s convictions in Nigeria’s political environment.
His remarks have reignited debate over internal party politics during the Jonathan era, particularly allegations of intolerance for dissenting views within the ruling party at the time.
