Oliver Okpala, former Senior Special Assistant on Public Enlightenment to the former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has described the attack on the former National Chairman by a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Buba Galadima, as misguided.
Okpala, in a statement issued in Abuja, denied claims that Ganduje was removed from office for ridiculing and disparaging former President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Ganduje was never disgraced, as Buba lied; he successfully completed his two terms in office, leaving behind a sprawling legacy of positive impacts across all sectors of Kano State.
“His allegations that Ganduje mobilised security services to stop the NNPP from winning are huge lies.
“Ganduje remains a democrat with towering records of excellence and political dexterity,” Okpala said.
He accused Galadima of playing to the gallery and regretted that the bane of the nation’s politics is the lack of respect for elected leaders, both past and present.
Okpala said the former Director-General of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA) is “a harbinger of wrong political narratives,” alleging that his comments were intended to force a wrong narrative and interpretation on Dr Ganduje’s personality.
“My concern is not political but in defence of a man who has succeeded as a testament to political wisdom, maturity and decorum in the orbit of Nigerian politics, especially when it is coming from a television politician who has no political base and has not contested or won any election in his life,” he stated.
He advised Galadima to change his “old ways of seeing nothing good in what others do,” describing him as a television politician without any political home base.
The former spokesperson said Ganduje has been known for his high level of political decorum and discipline in all his conduct and, as such, would not resort to insults as claimed by Galadima.
