His sojourn in Politics and life is divine. Special thanks to his creator for granting him his heart desires very early in life. For Mallam Saliu Mustapha, he is a child born with luck and grace. Despite the sheer luck, all he achieved today is through dint of hard work.
When many didn’t believe in his dreams and aspirations, the mineral resources graduate from Kaduna Polytechnic believed in himself and chased his dreams with much gusto. This led him to move astronomically politically, serving as the first national publicity secretary of the Progressive Action Congress (PAC), a now-defunct political party. He later became a member of the All Nigeria peoples Party ANPP, where he played a pivotal role in the presidential ambition of Muhammadu Buhari. In 2009, after a breakaway faction of the ANPP led by Buhari formed the Congress for Progressive Change CPC, Mustapha became the national deputy chairman of the party, one of the youngest in the country. In his capacity as the deputy chairman of the party, the Ilorin-born politician worked assiduously to ensure the party ran smoothly and produced credible candidates during elections. After many years, his party later merged to form the ruling All Progressives Congress. In 2018, he jostled to become the Governor of Kwara State under the ruling APC but was denied the opportunity to serve his people.
For his immense contribution to the development and philanthropy in Kwara state, Emir of Ilorin, Dr. Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari conferred on him the traditional title as the Turaki Ilorin. The turbaning ceremony which was initially slated for October 15, 2021, was later moved to October 22, 2021, to enhance proper planning for the mammoth crowd that attended the ceremony. The event had in attendance Governor of Kwara State, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdul Razak, and other top political office holders across Nigeria. It was a moment of joy as Saliu rode on the royal horse parading around the city as the new Turaki Ilorin a title formerly occupied by Kwara State Politician Dr. Olusola Saraki before it was passed to his son former Governor of Kwara and Former Senate President Dr. Olubukola Saraki before he was elevated as the Waziri Ilorin.