Happy Times…Saraki Reunites With Sister, Gbemi at Mum’s Birthday

Sibling rivalry is not something others are qualified to comment on. The fact is that said siblings will either continue to resist each other or settle their differences whenever they feel like it, and there is very little anybody can do about it. This is the case with the Sarakis of Kwara State. The latest report on this front is that they have buried the hatchet, thanks to their mutual celebration of the original Saraki matriarch, their mother.

Except one has a younger or older sibling, one might never understand why Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki and his younger sister, Senator Gbemisola Saraki are almost always at loggerheads. There is no mystery to it: siblings fight all the time. Of course, with the Sarakis, it is a question of scale and something of a political undertone so it cannot be considered altogether usual. This is why folks are sighing with relief upon their reconciliation at their mother’s birthday celebration.

According to those who were on ground to celebrate the Saraki matriarch, Chief Mrs Florence Morenike Saraki, both the former Senate President and his Minister for State sister were standing to the left and right sides of the celebrant. Evidently, as their mother clocked 86, the siblings had no other choice but to let go of past slights and focus on showing love to their mother. From the photographed faces of the remaining family members of the Saraki house, this reconciliation is a big deal and something the relatives might have been praying towards.

Those who know a bit about their histories are aware of the fact that the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is likely to have taken the first step against his sister when he chose to stand behind a different gubernatorial candidate in 2011, even though his sister intended to be his successor. Ever since, the siblings have traded snide remarks and unflattering comments at each other, clear evidence of a fracture in the relationship.

Now, however, that things are all fine between the siblings, it is time to focus on bigger issues, e.g., the report that the former Senate President intends to join the presidential race of 2023.