President Muhammadu Buhari may have strengthened his hand in getting
the presidential ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC,
with last Tuesday’s sweeping extension of the tenure of the National
Working Committee, NWC. Buhari & Saraki However, more trouble lies
for him in the general contest from a coalition of displeased party
members and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that could
make last Tuesday’s endorsement of the NWC a pyrrhic victory.
That is if the President resolves to seek a second term despite
health and age concerns. Buhari, who was inaugurated as President at the
age of 72, making him the oldest person to have occupied the Nigerian
presidency would extend that record if he goes on to win a second term
at 76.
His health and age issues nonetheless, critics within his party are
not giving up on stopping him, if not on account of alleged
underperformance, then to stave off what some party insiders claim as
potential vengeance in a second term. The opposition, is now centering
around Senate President Bukola Saraki, who became an early target of the
Buhari presidency upon claims of his alleged ‘unbridled presidential
aspiration.’
Saraki, who was an influential factor in rallying the Middle Belt and
the business community towards the Buhari candidacy ahead of the 2015
elections has twice been charged by officials of the Buhari
administration on two alleged crimes; forgery of the 2015 Standing Rules
of the Senate and wrongful declaration of assets.
The charge of forgery was withdrawn by administration officials upon
lack of evidence while the government and Saraki have appealed and
cross-appealed disfavourable judgments on the assets declaration
charges.
Tambuwal, Markarfi, Lamido, Atiku
With Saraki apparently being pushed to his wits’ end, It was learnt
that he is being prevailed upon to forgo his reported presidential
aspiration to help forge a strong alliance that could stop Buhari’s
second term.
Those canvassing the idea expect Saraki to return to the PDP and help
push the candidacy of any of the four major aspirants being canvassed
to fly the ticket of the opposition party.
The four include Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State,
Senator Ahmed Makarfi, Alhaji Sule Lamido and Atiku Abubakar. Saraki has
become increasingly distant from the APC despite reconciliatory moves
made by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu towards him and his allies.
A source disclosed that immediately Tinubu was given the assignment
to lead the reconciliation one of the first persons he met in Abuja was
Senator Saraki. “Asiwaju told him that he has been given the job and
that he needed Saraki’s cooperation for the job,” a source privy to the
encounter between the two men which occurred about two weeks ago said.
Absent at APC meetings
The encounter between Saraki and Tinubu was particularly sensitive
given claims that the APC national leader was one of those who marshaled
opposition to stop Saraki from occupying the office of Senate
President.
That meeting between both men did not produce any breakthrough but
that did not stop Tinubu in his task. Evidence of the lack of substance
from the meeting was Saraki’s absence at two national meetings of the
party earlier this week; the national caucus on Monday and the NEC
meeting the following day despite being in Abuja. Saraki remarkably was
in court last Tuesday when the NEC of the party took place in Abuja.
One associate of Saraki ’s associates dismissed insinuations about
his absence at the two meetings. “How could they have expected him at
the meeting of the national caucus when he would have been preparing
himself for the court case that was to come up the following day, and
that was the same day that the NEC was holding.” Saraki’s Spokesman, Mr.
Yusuph Olaniyonu was, however, quick to disabuse any claims of mischief
in the absence of the Senate President at the two meetings. In a
statement issued late on Thursday, Mr. Olaniyonu said the Senate
President returned from an official Senate engagement in Benin late on
Monday and was unable to attend the caucus meeting.
He also traced his absence at the NEC meeting to the CCT trial.
It is possible to defeat Buhari
“On Tuesday when the NEC meeting was holding at the APC secretariat,
the Senate President was at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) where he
was fighting to clear his name as the defendant in an ongoing case. Dr.
Saraki did not fix the date of the adoption of briefs by prosecution and
defence lawyers. The Tribunal did, and by law, Saraki must be
physically present at the Tribunal as the defendant. “
It stands to reason that he cannot be in two places at once, and so
he was unavoidably absent at the NEC meeting. “Dr. Saraki is not one to
sneak into a room via the window. He would rather enter through the
front door so that his entry is well noted and acknowledged. Nigerians
know that when he joined the APC, he did not sneak in. Therefore, no one
should attach any mischievous or inaccurate interpretation to his
absence at the two meetings held at times when his whereabouts were a
matter of public record.” Despite Buhari’s continued popularity in some
portions of the North, his critics within the party believe that it is
possible to defeat him and hence the shopping around for strong
politicians to turn the tide against the President. Besides Saraki,
others that are being courted include the influential senior senator
from Zamfara, Senator Sani Yerima and the immediate past governor of
Sokoto State, Senator Aliyu Wamakko.
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