A visit on Thursday by the Kwara Central Senatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Bolaji Abdullahi to a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, government in the state, Ambassador Yahaya Seriki, is now causing ripples within the APC.
Similarly, the visit has thrown the camp of the Kwara Central Senatorial candidate of the APC, Malam Salihu Mustapha into anxiety.
Recall that Salihu Mustapha, who is from the same Ilorin East Local Government Area with Yahaya Seriki, floored Seriki and other contestants with a wide margin in the APC primary election in June to emerge the candidate of the party for Kwara Central Senatorial District.
Insiders revealed that Yahaya Seriki, who is in the same bitter mood with Senator Yahaya Oloriegbe, who was also defeated in the primary election, has vowed not to work for Mustapha in the 2023 general elections.
Senator Oloriegbe, had also reportedly blamed Governor Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq for his defeat in the primary election.
Reacting, Bolaji Abdullahi in a telephone chat with DAILY POST, in Ilorin on Friday, confirmed that he visited Yahaya Seriki at his Ilorin residence but refused to give details.
Pressed further, the Senatorial candidate said his meeting with the APC chieftain was aimed at striking a working relationship with him ahead of the 2023 general elections.
Also commenting on the Thursday development, spokesman of the PDP in the state, Prince Tunji Moronfoye, said “the visit of Malam ‘Bolaji Abdulai to Ambassador Yahaya Seriki, should not surprise any astute political pundit.
“Politics is a game of personal interests. When interests align, then people work together politically. One thing we need to consider is that, this is not a surprise visit, there has to have been a conversation on phone, a date, place and time set, before the meeting was held.
“I would be very worried if I was in the All Progressives Congress (APC) at this time. We have seen people deserting their sinking APC ship in droves in the last weeks.
“Ambassador Yahaya Seriki, who wasn’t well treated in the APC, will be a very welcomed strategic partner to us in the Peoples Democratic party (PDP),” he declared.