Kabir Abayomi Ayeola represents Ibeju/Lekki Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives.

In this interview, Ayeola, a cognate member of the House and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) says Senator Bukola Saraki must face trial to clear his name. Excerpts:

Would you say President Buhari has done well thus far?

Done well so far? (laughs) it is a question you can answer. He has imperatively done well. He’s been fantastic. I pray he should continue like that.

Critics say his promise of change has remained a promise, what do you think?

I don’t know what they expect. Already, change is taking place. You can see change in our security, even finance. All leakages have been blocked effectively. Nobody does anything with impunity any longer. Whenever you are doing anything now, you would think thoroughly about the consequences, unlike in those days when you could do whatever you liked, therefore, I can say that the promise of APC about change is already manifesting.

How would you rate the anti-corruption fight?

The rate of corruption is declining, and that is an evidence of change. I’ve just said that before anybody does anything in this country, he will think twice because they know if they do anything against the laws of the country, they will pay dearly for it.

Does the names on the ministerial list justify the long wait?

The long wait is more than justified. More than justified. The president told us he was looking for credible Nigerians to serve in his cabinet, people who can deliver. Do you want to tell me that the inclusion of somebody like BRF (Babatunde Raji Fashola) is not justifiable? Or is it Amaechi? Go and see their achievements as governors of their respective states, then you will agree with me that Buhari has done a lot of work to ensure he selected the best to serve this country.

Some APC big wigs are calling for Saraki’s resignation due to his code of conduct issue, while some of the miniterial nominees have EFCC isuses, isn’t this d

That you are facing charges before a court of law does not necessarily mean that you have been proven guilty. It is only when the court pronounces you guilty, that you can be said to be guilty. Every suspect is innocent until proven guilty. I want to assure you that if any of the ministerial nominees is found guilty, in the next few minutes such person is gone. That is Buhari for you.

Don’t you think the recent claims by Boko Haram that it carried out the twin bombings in abuja is a minus for this government?

Boko Haram has been deeply entrenched in our society, that to eradicate them within three months will not be easy, unless by a magician. The President we elected is not a magician. He’s a human being like us who needs to do things the way they are done with what we have seen so far, we can say to some extent, there has been a reduction in the activities of Boko Haram. I was with a military officer recently, and from the report I gathered from him, within a few months, the issue of Boko Haram will be a thing of the past in this country. I want to tell you that if the immediate past president had approached the issue of Boko Haram the way president Buhari is facing it now, they would not be in existence today. You can also see that on a daily basis, members of the sect are giving themselves up.

Jonathan administration had reduced Boko Haram significantly, are you saying what we have now is better?

Better. Far better. I say it without apology to anybody. If there was a recent bomb attack in Abuja, do you know how many of such attempts were unsuccessful? Like I told you, it’s not something that can be eradicated within a few days, but gradually we are getting there, and very soon, we shall get Boko Haram out of the way

Is the call for the resignation of the Senate President not a sign of crisis of confidence in APC?

Why are people calling for the resignation of the Senate President? It is premature to call for the resignation of Saraki at the moment. People should not be in a haste about it. They should allow the law of the land to take its course. Let us wait for the outcome of the matter. He knows what to do, and if doesn’t know what to do, Nigerians will tell him. We should allow the court to make its pronouncement.

How true is the story that senator Tinubu is behind Saraki’s travails?

I don’t know what they mean by that. I don’t know. Is it a crime to be successful? All these accusations against my leader are not worth it. Was it Tinubu who made a false declaration of assets against Saraki? Does Tinubu own the Code of Conduct Bureau? What are they talking about? Tinubu is not even aware of what Saraki has in his records. Tinubu cannot access the records so how can he be a party in this matter?

Don’t you think it’s Tinubu’s own way of getting his pound of flesh from Saraki over his alleged betrayal?

Well, if he betrayed APC, it is not Tinubu that he betrayed. Tinubu is not APC; he is a leader in APC. I’m an APC person, so are millions of others. If he has done anything wrong to APC as a party, that is not to Tinubu. If he has done anything against APC, the party has sanctions that can be meted out to him. I don’t see this issue as that of betrayal

Don’t you think that the issue might become an albatross for the APC if not well managed?

I don’t see it affecting the APC. How is it going to affect us? Rather, Saraki is letting the world know that he is not a gentleman by any standard. No matter how big you are, you cannot get into any elective office without a political party. Those who voted Saraki as Senator did so using the APC. In fact, on the ballot paper, there are not photographs, rather what you see are the logos of the political parties. People voted for the party, not for Saraki. Therefore, if the party says this is what we want, as a reliable person, even if he wants to lead the party, he should have abided by the party’s decision. That he did not abide by the decision of the party means he cannot lead the National Assembly. You must be a good follower before you can be a good leader.

How do you then react to the vote of confidence passed on him by senators across party lines?

Nigerian factor, that is the Nigerian factor

What do you mean by Nigerian factor?

When people see the fact, and pretend that they did not see it. That’s Nigerian factor. There is a culture in the country which we all must continue to pray against. If Saraki is removed today, his best friends with whom he dine and wine will deny him outrightly and will even expose more about him. Facts that were not known to us because he is no longer on the seat. Nigerians, to a very great extent don’t see the bad side of their friends and leaders for fear of being persecuted.

Do you agree that Saraki’s trial means APC is equally on trial?

It’s not. Its Saraki who is on trial, not APC. The offence committed was not committed by the APC. Saraki is an individual within APC as a party. It is he who is on trial not our party. I also believe that the issue should be managed properly. We should not condone anything nonsensical. That is why we should allow the court which is charged with that responsibility to do its job, we are not going to interfere, I can assure you. As long as we don’t interfere, our call for change, integrity is intact

Saraki by virtue of his position is the chairman of the National Assembly, what does trial mean to you as a law maker?

It’s normal. We made the law, and we should be able to obey the law. If the number one lawmaker in the country is believed to have broken the law, he should face the law accordingly. I don’t see anything bad in it. The court is there to decide whether he is right or wrong, and that is not said by words of mouth but by evidence you can produce before the court. Very simple

Don’t you think it should have been handled politically?

It’s not a political matter. It’s criminal, and criminal cases are not tried in political circles. The courts handle such. It’s not that we are fighting within our party. It’s not a political matter at all. It’s purely criminal. He has to defend himself that he did not run foul of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. Therefore it cannot be handled politically.

How do you view the backing Saraki is getting from the PDP?

PDP is trying to regain relevance through the backdoor by trying to shield Saraki who also aided them to get what does not belong to them. For 16 years, they were in control of the National Assembly in this country, and nobody bothered to know what they were doing. We did not aid their members against them. If they have conscience they should just play their role of opposition. That they should not stray into our party and aiding our party man against us. Since Saraki has allowed them to use him, I wish him good luck I can assure you that Buhari will never aid anybody to go against the constitution of this country, even his wife.

saraki shouldn't be afraid to defend himself if his hands are clean. But are they?

Not all leakages have been blocked o


Because some HeDYorts will come here to tell us how Buhari was boasting of which No be Buhari talk