Explain alleged support for Tinubu while playing opposition at home, Kwara APC to Saraki
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara state has accused Bukola Saraki, former senate president, of playing double politics by posturing as an opposition leader at home while allegedly seeking benefits from the ruling party in Abuja.
In a statement on Friday, Abdulwaheed Babatunde, APC spokesperson in Kwara, said Saraki owes his supporters an explanation over allegations that he publicly aligns with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state but privately supports President Bola Tinubu’s second-term ambition in Abuja.
Babatunde said recent claims that Saraki is affiliating with the ruling party in Abuja for personal gains, while maintaining opposition credentials in the state, raise questions about his political sincerity.
He described the alleged conduct as hypocrisy, disloyalty and double-dealing, noting that it amounts to an assault on supporters who continue to show him loyalty.
The APC spokesperson said Saraki has a duty to clarify the allegations rather than allow what he described as attacks on those who raised the issue.
“Since Prof. Sulaiman Abubakar dropped the bombshell during a radio session, we have seen a well-coordinated attempt to smear his personality by some hirelings,” the statement reads.
“That’s very low and unwise, and what is expected of the former senate president is to clarify the issue because it is a weighty allegation.”
Babatunde said Saraki owes it to public conscience and to his followers, “whose loyalty continues to hang in the balance,” to put the matter in proper perspective.
He said the allegations are not surprising, claiming that they reflect Saraki’s long-standing political character.
“It only confirms the vintage Saraki: cunning, deceptive, unprincipled, and loyal to himself alone,” Babatunde said.
The Kwara APC spokesperson also recalled Saraki’s emergence as senate president in 2015, alleging that he betrayed party leadership and disrespected Tinubu in the process.
According to him, Saraki’s political history shows a pattern of not sticking to principles, warning officials dealing with him in Abuja to be cautious.
He said the APC continues to gain momentum under Tinubu’s leadership and cited the performance of AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, governor of Kwara, as evidence of the party’s appeal in the state.
“Whoever wants to affiliate with this winning team should do so boldly without playing hanky-panky or hide-and-seek,” he added.
He said any attempt to benefit from the ruling party while maintaining opposition politics elsewhere would be “treacherous and unacceptable”.
