Jonathan appointed me minister without knowing me

Former Minister of Youth Development and Sports, Bolaji Abdullahi, has revealed that ex-President Goodluck Jonathan appointed him without any prior personal relationship.

Mr Abdullahi made this disclosure in his memoir, “The Loyalist,” which will be presented to the public on Tuesday.

The 297-page book provides a gripping account of his two-decade journey through Nigerian politics, offering insights into the workings of government at both state and federal levels.

“More than a memoir, this is an unflinching exploration of power, loyalty, and ambition, told with the insight of a journalist-turned-politician. Abdullahi pulls back the curtains on the high-stakes manoeuvring of governance, the transactional nature of party politics, and the personal sacrifices demanded by public service,” said Olusegun Adeniyi, chairperson of THISDAY editorial board, who wrote the foreword.

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Mr Abdullahi, the spokesperson of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), said his ministerial appointment came shortly after he concluded his tenure as Commissioner for Education in Kwara State. He was among eight names recommended to Mr Jonathan for the ministerial slot from Kwara.

Before the appointment, he had no personal relationship with the president. He admitted that his close political ties with power in Kwara were instrumental in securing the nomination.

Bukola Saraki, under whom Mr Abdullahi served, first as a special assistant from 2003 before being elevated to commissioner in 2007, had just completed his own second term and had been succeeded by another of his former commissioners, Abdulfatah Ahmed, as governor.

A turbulent tenure

Mr Abdullahi soon discovered that his appointment, made to fulfil a constitutional obligation, would lead to a difficult time amidst political tension.

“For most of my time as minister, I felt like a man on death row who did not know when his executioner would come,” he wrote, recalling how he was listed among ministers to be dismissed on 11 September 2013.

He survived that purge but was eventually dismissed on 5 March 2014.

According to him, the political situation in the country necessitated his removal. Mr Jonathan was seeking re-election while the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) was rapidly gaining ground.

Mr Saraki, then a senator, had joined 11 other senators and five state governors out of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the newly formed APC.

This defection was widely perceived as a serious blow to the ruling party that could significantly jeopardise the president’s re-election chances, the author said.

As a loyalist to Mr Saraki while still serving in the Jonathan administration, Mr Abdullahi was now seen as a mole. Even his colleagues could not hide their suspicion, he wrote.

Preparing for the inevitable

Mr Abdullahi said he anticipated his dismissal from the outset.

“I had feared that a day like this would come, when I would find myself at the very crossroads, forced to choose. I also knew that when the moment arrived, the decision I made would most probably be determinant,” he wrote.

“Since my appointment, I had organised myself in such a way that I would not require much time to move out. I believe it is the wise thing to do if one holds a position at the absolute discretion of one man.

“For this reason, I never planned for anything beyond a four-month cycle. I had also prepared my family and aides to think the same way. And now that it was about to happen, I did not expect that any of us would be caught totally unawares.”

The writer added that he preferred to see himself as a technocrat. When appointed minister in 2011, Mr Saraki himself advised him not to get involved in “Abuja politics.”

“Partisan politics did not interest me,” he wrote, recalling that during political meetings, he preferred to consider himself a “technocrat.”

“Despite the political storm that raged around me since I became minister, I would have preferred to be left alone to just do my job. What I did not realise was that the ministerial position is primarily a political one. True, I might have been appointed because of my technical competence, but the decision to keep me in office or not would ultimately be determined by political considerations, especially as the election year approached.”

The price of loyalty

He also noted that the moment his political mentor, Mr Saraki, left the PDP, he faced a critical choice: openly disavow Mr Saraki and pledge loyalty to Mr Jonathan, or resign and follow Mr Saraki. He had wanted to resign before he was sacked but his closest people, including Mr Saraki, advised him not to resign.

“My trial had been concluded since Saraki left the party, and I had already been convicted,” he said.

“At that point, only a total disavowal of Saraki could have saved me with the president and his people. But that would have also meant renouncing the very principles my father had taught me were more important than all the riches in the world.”

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The author said he suffered terribly as the fight between Messrs Saraki and Jonathan raged. “I was the grass suffering as the two elephants fought.”

He added that at some points he wanted to discuss the issue of Mr Saraki with the then president, but “I never did because I was afraid he might misconstrue my motive, and I would have ended up waving a red flag at an otherwise friendly bull.”

“Another reason I did not bring up the Saraki issue with him was that I feared it might lead to a situation requiring me to take sides. More importantly, in a bid to prove my loyalty to him, I might have inadvertently given the impression that I was willing to take sides with him. In my interactions with him, I made deliberate efforts to understand his worldview, and he came across to me as a man who disliked treacherous people, even if their treachery was in his service.”

“With Senator Saraki, however, it was not so difficult to bring up the matter. In fact, I thought it would be expected of me to do so. A couple of times, I asked him what the real problem was with the president, and he explained what he thought it was. I was, however, careful not to tell him how his relationship with Jonathan was reflecting on me and how I was suffering as a result. I knew he could be very suspicious and even distrustful,” the author said.

From his formative years as a governor’s aide in Kwara State to his tenure as a federal minister, Mr Abdullahi chronicles his triumphs, betrayals, and profound lessons in the book.

“With humour and candour, he navigates the complexities of his relationship with political godfathers like Senator Bukola Saraki, offering rare insight into the personal and political dynamics that shape leadership in Nigeria,” Mr Adeniyi wrote.

“Written with wit and depth, The Loyalist transcends politics to become a moving meditation on integrity, service, and identity. Abdullahi’s story is an inspiring reminder of the strength needed to stand firm in a world where loyalty and ambition often collide.”