If truly there was any plot to remove Dr. Bukola Saraki as President of the Senate, then, it may be dead on arrival, writes Damilola Oyedele
The never ending plot against the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki is rooted in the manner of his emergence as President of the Senate and Chairman of the National Assembly. Many would recall that Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara had gone against the wishes of their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) to throw their hats in the contest for Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively, not minding that Senator Ahmed Lawan and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila were supposedly the ‘anointed’ candidates of a power bloc in the party.
The Beginning of the Plot
Saraki’s eventual victory, even though he received congratulatory greetings from President Muhammadu Buhari, has since remained a thorn in the flesh of the executive arm of government, particularly those acting on behalf of the president, not necessarily on his instruction. Not even after he removed one of his biggest supporters, Senator Ali Ndume, as Majority Leader, to hand the position to Lawan as a compensatory give-away has the threat abated. Some members of the executive arm seem to have made it their preoccupation to see to his removal, even if that would be the only thing they would achieve under this government.
First, he was dragged to Court alongside the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on the allegations of forging the Senate Rules to fraudulently aid his emergence, which was eventually withdrawn by the Attorney General of the Federation, Mr. Abubakar Malami. Next were the numerous charges levelled against him at the Code of Conduct Tribunal including false assets declaration, which were eventually quashed after a legal battle that dragged for nearly two years.
And the Plot Thickens…
In a debate on January 17, 2018, over a completely different issue (insecurity), Senator Hamman Misau, warned that the plot to remove Senate President Bukola Saraki from office has remained strong over fears that he might defect from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), thus creating problems for the party.
The plot, he said, gained traction during the Christmas recess of the National Assembly and was being spearheaded by a minister. Misau, however, did not mention the name of the minister, whom he accused of trying to lobby some senators to execute the plot.
“When we were on holiday, so many people were going behind (to senators), pleading that we should try and remove the Senate President. It was a minister that was spearheading this thing. What was the reason? They said that the Senate President would leave APC, that it would create problems from him (Saraki). What kind of country is this? Everything is about religion and about tribe,†he said.
Senator Dino Melaye was more direct when on his twitter page he pointedly accused a serving senator from Nasarawa state of being the anchor of the impeachment plot in the Senate. He added that Saraki has at least 98 of the 109 lawmakers, solidly behind him.
“The Nasarawa Senator plotting Saraki’s removal is a joker. No shaking! He used Saraki’s name to get off EFCC before, now his son again has been arraigned by EFCC, he want to play the same card. Agbaya! We dey wait. 98 senators are unwavering on Saraki,†the tweet posted at 4.54pm on January 25, 2018 read.
Sources further told THISDAY that some senators, who are considered vocal critics of the government, have been penciled down targets of attacks.
Saraki the ‘Unremovable’
A senator, who spoke with THISDAY off record, agreed that it would be impossible to remove Saraki as Senate President.
“Yes, he may want to run for presidency but that is his right as much as that of any other Nigerian, as long as he meets the requirements. But he has managed the affairs here very well, that even some of his former enemies here have sheathe their swords, and do not want to rock the boat.
“Believe me, support for Saraki is so strong I would not be surprised that he retains his seat as Senate President in the next assembly, if he decides not to run for presidency in 2019,†the senator added.
Another senator said even if some of his colleagues are not happy with Saraki, they would not be comfortable with whoever the choice of the presidency is.
“Who would this cabal, with more than one faction, pick to impose on us here? We cannot be comfortable because that would just put us in the pocket of the executive arm of government. We are not anybody’s boys; we are men, who are accomplished in our endeavors, so, we cannot just sit back and take orders from anyone. Even Saraki knows this, and handles this place with a lot of maturity,†the senator said.
Senate’s Official Response
The official response to allegations of the plot came from the Senate spokesman, Senator Sabi Abdullahi, who said any plot to remove the Senate President from his position would fail, as he currently enjoys the confidence of his colleagues and has ensured stability in the eighth senate.
Speaking with newsmen last weekend, he emphasised that the 109 senators had the right to choose their leaders by election, and have done so, in line with relevant laws.
“Nobody can remove Saraki. We elected him and we are not ready to remove him yet. From day one, they never wanted Saraki. What we are saying is that, the right to choose the Senate President lies with senators and we have chosen our leader.
“From everything he has been doing as chairman of the National Assembly and as President of the Senate, he has provided stability. He has not only brought this to the National Assembly, but the entire country. The true face of democracy is the parliament and since Saraki came in, we have not failed this democracy,†Abdullahi said.
Abdullahi maintained that it was in Nigeria’s interest that the stability currently enjoyed in the National Assembly is allowed to stay, so all hands can be on deck to tackle the challenges being experienced in the country.
In the Final Analysis
It should be clear by now that Saraki has the numbers to keep him in his seat until the end of the eighth assembly. The first indication to this is the number of senators that followed him to Court for every hearing, either during the trial for forgery allegations, and the one at the CCT. Not only does Saraki have the gravitas to hold down a volatile senate, being first amongst equals, he is a typical 21st century Nigerian, who understands the issues and can intelligently address them without panning to ethnic or tribal sentiments.
It is common knowledge that Saraki has elevated the quality of intervention by the parliament in national discourse as much as enhanced the image of the legislature before the people. He has consistently pushed for the interest of the people at all times and ensured that debates, bills and motions are consistently tailored towards the concerns of the people.
Thus, the idea that he has effective control and influence in the senate isn’t by sheer happenstance but a function of his leadership acumen through conscious inter-face between the other arms of government and the people. His popularity amongst his colleagues has been further underscored by his maturity and capacity to dispassionately deliver leadership at critical moments.
Thus, when put together, it is expected that the presidency would learn to focus on fixing the challenges of the country, which are daily escalating and stop chasing shadows. In fact, it is in collective interest that the presidency seeks an enduring cooperation with the present leadership of the National Assembly, so they can collectively contain some of the elements that tend to undo them as development partners.
It is, therefore, imperative to emphasise that Saraki has been a good ally of the executive in nation-building. Often times, he has protected the executive to the chagrin of his colleagues. There is no debating the fact that the executive has committed too many errors, sometimes in mere memo writing but which Saraki has had to cover up and brush aside as a quintessential party person. He is that one genuine friend the executive is fast losing and except they see him for who he is (a development partner), whatever the outcome of this shadow-chasing is ultimately a loss for the executive.
