For all he cares, the calculated shift of allegiance, to say the least, is the beginning of another battle of a titan.

Omoniyi Salaudeen



TUESDAY’S defection of Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is an epoch of the moment, which is still reverberating in the polity, understandably because of his position as the number three citizen in the country.

The long-awaited defection was an anti-climax of the power play intrigues that heralded his emergence as the leader of the hallowed chamber against the wish of his party.

In a terse statement released following his reunion with the PDP, the overtly ambitious Senator cited irreconcilable differences with his former party as his reason for jumping ship, confirming the speculation of his nurtured aspiration to take a shot at the presidency in 2019.

This, of course, may not have come as a surprise to the APC, which has linked Saraki to a string of political maneuverings allegedly interpreted to be a deliberate plot to undermine the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Saraki, in his overt ambition to assume the leadership of the 8th National Assembly at its inauguration in June 2015 had taken precedence from the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, who had to defy the PDP to clinch the seat and thereafter shifted loyalty to the defunct ACN.

But while the PDP humbly swallowed the pill of humiliation and accepted Tambuwal’s rebellion, Saraki on the other hand had been at loggerheads with the APC, as he was hounded, rundown, and humiliated in his celebrated trial for false asset declaration instituted against him by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

In making the latest shift of allegiance, Saraki must have been emboldened by the recent judgment of the Supreme Court that gave him a clean bill of health after battle, which began on September 22, 2015.

Reacting to the apex court judgment, he said: “The case was trumped up in the first instance because of my emergence as the President of the Senate against the wishes of certain forces. Ordinarily, I doubt anyone would be interested in the asset declaration form I filled over 15 years ago.

For all he cares, the calculated shift of allegiance, to say the least, is the beginning of another battle of a titan. What remains to be seen is whether allegations of corruption and complicity in the recent Offa robbery incident that have continued to dog his footsteps will undermine his new sojourn and ambition.

Although the apex court has cleared the pathway for him, the ugly public perception foisted on him by the corruption trial remains an albatross, which will continue to haunt him ahead of his campaigns for his new political tour for 2019.

His erstwhile party, APC, has also accused him of being instrumental to the friction between President Buhari and members of the legislature, a development the party claimed was largely responsible for the slow pace of governance in the country since it took over the reign of power in 2015.

Pointedly, the Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, while reacting to his defection after Wednesday’s cabinet meeting said: “Saraki has behaved all along as if he was a member of the opposition, deliberately slowing down the progress of the APC.”

Yet, the defecting lawmakers in an extraordinary joint statement had denounced Buhari for failing to tackle rising violence and using the security services to hound opponents.

But as Saraki has now crossed over to the defensive, more of such onslaughts are likely to be launched against the president in the months ahead, particularly with the new balance of forces in the two chambers of the National Assembly. Last week, 16 lawmakers in the upper house left the APC for PDP, likewise 32 in the lower house.

Hit by the gale of defections, the APC leadership has demanded that Saraki relinquish his position as Senate President since he rode on the back of the party to clinch it. Just last Thursday too, the PDP made him its national leader, as he is now holding the highest office in the party, thereby replacing the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who had hitherto held the position.

Born into one of Nigeria’s wealthiest and most politically prominent families on December 19, 1962, Saraki is treading a familiar terrain. His late father, Abubakar Olusola Saraki (aka Oloye), a Second Republic Senate Majority Leader, was a de facto kingmaker in his home state of Kwara. Since the younger Saraki stepped into his father’s shoes, he has left no one in doubt that he had been well groomed to take charge of the dynasty and sustain its survival.

He has been President of the Nigeria’s Senate since 2015. He was also the Kwara State governor from 2003 to 2011. He attended the Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry from 1982 to 1987. He is married with children.

http://sunnewsonline.com/saraki-different-race-fierce-battle/

Make una Leave Sariki...
Why are u guys sooo pained in this Man..

Blame game even in 2018? few months to election. We are observing this monumental failure. If road good, we go pass more than ones. But this road weh terminate inside lagoon After three years of construction shebi we go ply the road again? .Lolzz.

"...APC, has also accused him of being instrumental to the friction between President Buhari and members of the legislature, a development the party claimed was largely responsible for the slow pace of governance in the country since it took over the reign of power in 2015"

Saraki may not be perfect/corrupt but annoyingly the APC is always looking for who to blame for their clueless @ the slightest opportunity.

Isn't it time for us to try something different like restructuring our mode of governance or just splitting the country? We have tried PDP before and now tried APC it has shown these things haven't yet solved our big problems. It's funny it's still the same ruling class merely switching parties and we think we are trying anything new supporting PDP or APC. Nigerians keep blaming the leaders when they are actually the ones supporting these leaders and the entire failed system to power. The problem with Nigeria is the people itself. Why can't Nigerians realize the whole arrangement is not working and it's time to try something different? The system is not working and Nigerians keep supporting the same failed system and then claiming the leaders are bad. You guys are not yet serious to solve your national problems.

He is wasting his time.

Nigeria is not Kwara State. What Saraki just did now is called political suicide.

He is finished politically in Nigeria.

Saraki, victory is yours

The so called Mr integrity is the architect of all this sufferings because if he didn't abort shagari's govt, there won't be babaginda that legitimise corruption, abacha that loot the treasury, abdusalami that passed those hasty and regressive laws, obasanjo with his 8 years of using government money to expand his ota farm, and goodluck Jonathan's 6 years of massive looting, corruption and insecurity and also the bubu's 3 years rule now that has brought nothing but ethnic cleansing, interference from the presidency on judicial matters, disrespect for rule of law, down trodden economy, and persecution of oppositions, imagine how great we would have been without this 3 in Nigeria political scene
Buhari should know that the 1983 coup is still coming back to hurt him, imagine us practising democracy since 1979 without any interference from the terrorist, I think Nigerians would have been better off and our human right scale high by now, most law hurriedly passed that makes up the 1999 won't have been if we had stick with the shagari government, and zombies should let bum know karma is real, he aborted a democratic elected government on the basis of corruption, exhurbitant lifestyles of the politicians and mismanagement of public form, which his government is guilty of now, he shouldn't sleep or slumber because he that's down need fear not fall, he should expect the worse because his past will come back to hunt him, I'm not surprised bout the president disrespect for rule of law, because he's not a democrat, someone that can kill a dream at inception (1983) is capable of doing anything if left unchecked , together let's send him back to daura
note that the polity is different this time around because the whole world is watching and also the former president has laid a good precedent, so let's see the machineries the evil man will use
My vote is for any candidate that supports restructuring, young and detribalised Nigerian with good foreign policy because our image has been spoiled in international scene

Just observing ...

Saraki is a formidable strategist.

We need a modern day president, a president with verifiable education and a detribalized Nigeria.

Saraki for president!

The APC cannot bring Saraki down. From Senate presidency to CCT trial, the APC has tried its best to rein in Saraki without success. Love him or hate him, the man is a master strategist. Now that he is on the other side, the real drama is about to begin. I can't wait for the 2019 elections.

Saraki, the straw that broke the camels back

I PRAY THE MAN JUST LOSE IN EVERYTHING COZ IS A BIG PROBLEM FOR DEMOCRAZY

How could just one man be causing all these in a country. Na wah for us for this country o

Akpabio or whatever he is called is the new bride in town..

ki Saraki lo sempe

Long live the king..

op, I don taya for saraki news. abeg, change channel

click like if you think Chelsea will not finish in the Top 4 this season, otherwise click share

easyfem:
I PRAY THE MAN JUST LOSE IN EVERYTHING COZ IS A BIG PROBLEM FOR DEMOCRAZY

May God have mercy on you.

Saraki is no hero just as Buhari is another villain .... none of them deserves an accolade.

I love Buhari, but if PDP fields Saraki, I wont know whom to support.

Fccuck all of dem. No light. No water. Bad road. No good health facility. No good transport system.

Things got even more expensive in last 4 years. Dollar from 181 to 365. Boko Haram enter
Fulani herdsman.

Yet I strongly believed a prof like Osinbajo and Fashola will live up to expectations. 4 years and things just getting worse

I am changing citizenship.

easyfem:
I PRAY THE MAN JUST LOSE IN EVERYTHING COZ IS A BIG PROBLEM FOR DEMOCRAZY

This your prayer get as e be.. kuku leave the guy to lose naturally.

[s]

Alariiwo:
Akpabio or whatever he is called is the new bride in town..

ki Saraki lo sempe

[/s]
trash trash trash

Indirect campaign for Saraki....


Do you know what?
Buhari till 2023

bedspread:
Make una Leave Sariki...
Why are u guys sooo pained in this Man..

lol
if you know the kind of damage this man did to Buhari's reelection you will understand the attack on him

this man single handedly buried apc in kwara

Like he ruled Kwara. . . . .

APC=PDP
PDP=APC

No hope!
Shikena-Shikena!

one thing I love about this saraki is his silence

just like a boss no much talk just act

he's a born boss