Kwara 2019: MM Attempts To Scuttle Brother's Ambition, As Dele Belgore Refuse Overture

By Mumini AbdulKareem


The 2019 governorship ambition of former member of House of Representatives, Hon. Moshood Mustapha suffered another setback after former governorship candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN),
Mohammed Dele Belgore bluntly told him he will not back his plans to become the next governor of Kwara State.

Moshood Mustapha, who is widely known as MM by his followers was said to have visited Belgore at his Lagos residence alongside Alhaji Rasak Lawal and a former commissioner in the state to solicit support ahead of 2019 elections.

The trip to Lagos was said to have been embarked upon few days after the alleged resignation of Mustapha as the Special Adviser on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs to the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki.

MM has reportedly vowed to contest the governorship ticket with or without the support of his former boss who he had worked with for over a decade.

Besides, the development is coming on the heels of an alleged disagreement with his younger brother and Chairman of Sobi FM, Lukman Mustapha over who’ll likely pick the ticket of the opposition party in the 2019 race.

This medium gathered that Mustapha in his bid to present a formidable opposition to challenge the Saraki dynasty approached Belgore for collaborative efforts to dislodge the preferred candidate of the ruling party for the contest come 2019.

But Belgore, according to findings rejected the move by telling Mustapha to “carry his cross” adding that he would not be a party to the request.

It was learnt that Belgore queried the rationale behind the approach and asked MM the role he played when he (Belgore) contested the position of governor in 2011 against the incumbent governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed who was the anointed candidate of Saraki.

This medium learnt that though Belgore’s reaction surprised and jolted Mustapha, he however remained resolute to fight on by exploiting other options open to him on the ‘2019 project’.

Although Belgore is still a member of the PDP and a major contender for the top seat come 2019, Mustapha’s imminent defection from the APC to join the opposition party dominated political discourse lately.

Another source who spoke on the matter said but for the latest development which has reportedly kept the former immigration staff busy with “consultations” among his coordinators and across the PDP, MM was said to have initially fixed his official declaration in an elaborate ceremony in the state, for last Saturday.

The source who hails from Kwara Central region like Mustapha and was privy to the incident, noted that Belgore rejected the overtures based on Saraki’s formidability in the state and his rising profile in national politics.

Narrating what transpired between the duo, the source said; “During their discussion at the instance of Mustapha, he told Belgore that he was ready to fight Saraki and would need the latter’s support for the governorship seat come 2019.

“But Belgore rejected the overtures and queried where Mustapha was when he fought Saraki then.

“Moreover, Belgore told him that he (Mustapha) benefited a lot from Saraki as commissioner in various ministries in the state including his children who the Senate President araki helped secure juicy employments at CBN and NNPC.

“Belgore also asked MM that when he was acquiring landed property, consistently travelling abroad and building houses from one street to another, he never said Saraki was not a ‘good man’.

“He bluntly told MM to carry his ‘cross alone’ and to look for his accomplice elsewhere instead of dragging him into his ambition. Belgore added that he was not prepared to team up with MM or anyone to fight Saraki,” the source divulged.

Meanwhile, this medium reliably gathered from impeccable party sources last night that Moshood Mustapha and the Sobi FM boss, Lukman Mustapha clashed over who will fly the opposition party’s flag in the gubernatorial contest.

According to a highly close source to the two “combatants” who pleaded anonymity, the two Mustapha’s were summoned to a family meeting at an undisclosed location somewhere in GRA Ilorin at the weekend to resolve their differences.

The meeting was however said to have ended in deadlock as both parties refused to shift ground and maintained to go ahead with their separate ambitions.

The development was said to have necessitated the movement of the meeting to the family compound in Alanamu.

The source added: “At the meeting, Lukman accused Moshood of wanting to jeopardise his chances of emerging the candidate of the PDP adding that he has been in the party for long and expended his resources. Lukman further said that he had expected MM to fight for the ticket in the APC and both of them will now meet on the field from the opposite ends to make the contest an all-Mustapha affair.

“He (Lukman) said he would have expected Moshood’s imminent defection to the PDP to assist him in winning the governorship election”.

Moshood, the source further disclosed, rejected the position of the Sobi FM boss and told Lukman that he was only known as a technocrat and not a politician like him (MM) and that he had nursed the governorship ambition for long”.

It was in the process of the disagreement that both reportedly engaged in a shouting match in the presence of the family members. None of them was said to have heed the peace process.

All efforts to speak with MM on the issue proved abortive as he busied the call of this reporter last night. Also text message sent to him on the issue was not replied.

Although the line of Lukman was engaged several times this reporter called, he however did not confirm or deny the incident in his response to the text message sent.

“What altercation”, Lukman replied through text message over the issue.

However, one of MM’s coordinators who craved anonymity said “Mustapha has not told us there was any issue between him and his sibling on the matter.

“But at our own end, we were worried it would not be a good omen for the two of them to be seeking the ticket from the same roof. And in any case, some of us have told MM point blank from day one that we would not move with him if he decides to seek the ticket outside the APC. “We are ready and willing to go all out to support him if he contests the ticket within the party. For us, we don’t have anything against the APC or the dynasty which we will remain loyal to”, the aide added.

Attempts to get the reaction of the Alanamu APC ward Chairman, Alhaji Jimoh Aliu AbdulRahman and the party chairman in the state, Hon Ishola Balogun-Fulani on the allegation then did not yield any result as they refused to comment on the matter last night.

Recall that the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Alanamu Ward, last week officially summoned Mustapha over alleged anti-party activities.




Source: National Pilots