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Kwara State-born Saliu Mustapha, a former deputy national chairman of defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), is campaigning to chosen as the next national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He bares his mind to journalists on contemporary national challenges and his chances of clinching the top party post. LEON USIGBE and BIOLA AZEEZ bring the excerpts.
IN this race, you are going to be contesting with bigwigs in the party – former governors, senators and others. When you look at that, do you not feel intimidated by their profiles?
This is a call to service, and when you are called to serve, you are not to be intimidated by names or titles; the most important thing is what you have to offer, how well are your intentions, what new ideas do you have to bring to the table and how accessible will you be because in politics and party administration, you have to be very tolerant, and very accessible to allow a lot of people to come on board the ship. So, for me, I will state it again and again that it is not a contest of titles, it is a contest of ideas that will grow the party. Those who you are mentioning today, at one time of their lives, they were never governors, they were not born with those titles of governors or senators, they also aspired for it based on what they believed they could offer then. So for me, if my ambition today is to be the Chairman of the party, on the strength of my experience and network, I think I should be given the chance. I am a thoroughbred party man. In terms of party administration, I have the widest experience so far. The records are there to show. I have learned to manage people, I have learned to accommodate different interest, and I have learned to stabilise the platform from some of the best hands that have managed political parties before. So, by and large, I have paid my dues in the Nigeria political milieu. I believe I am better suited to lead the party at this time.