Former Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, has announced his withdrawal from active partisan politics, citing alleged manipulation, imposition of candidates, and lack of internal democracy within the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Shittu made the disclosure during an interview on SYMFONI, where he said recent developments within the ruling party had convinced him to redirect his focus toward Islamic Dawah and religious activities.

“I am no longer interested in politics. I want to do Islamic Dawah because if you put even a quarter of the effort we invest in politics into God’s work, one will certainly be better compensated,” he said.

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The former minister alleged that internal political processes within the APC had increasingly become controlled by powerful interests, leading to unfair treatment of aspirants and the imposition of preferred candidates.

According to him, the just-concluded governorship primary in the party had effectively been predetermined despite aspirants allegedly paying ₦50 million each for nomination forms.

Shittu claimed he was persuaded not to resign from his position as Pro-Chancellor of a federal university after being informed that it was President Bola Tinubu’s wish.

“Because I believed in the arrangement, I obeyed,” he said.

However, he later concluded that the outcome of the primary had allegedly been settled long before the exercise took place.

“It was much later that I discovered it had already been settled,” he stated.

Questions Over Nomination Fees

Shittu questioned why aspirants were required to purchase expensive nomination forms if candidates had allegedly already been chosen.

“Why would people be asked to part with ₦50 million before announcing an anointed candidate without consultation with the rest of us?” he asked.

Warning Of Political Fallout

The former minister warned that dissatisfaction arising from the primaries could negatively affect the APC ahead of future elections.

According to him, many party members and aspirants are unhappy with the process.

“If this type of arrangement succeeds, it will definitely affect the fortunes of the party because many people involved are unhappy with the situation,” he said.

Concerns Over Electoral Act

Shittu also argued that provisions of the Electoral Act now leave many aggrieved aspirants politically trapped after participating in party primaries.

He noted that candidates who contest primaries are restricted from defecting to another party to pursue the same office afterward.

“Many of those who worked to produce this political structure through the amended electoral act will become the first casualties,” he said.

Shittu, a lawyer and founding member of the APC, served as Minister of Communications under former President Muhammadu Buhari.