Saraki, Abdulfatah at War?

Saraki,  Abdulfatah at War?

No one in Nigeria would feign ignorance of the cordial relationship between the Senate President, Bukola Saraki and his political godson, the Governor of Kwara State, Ahmed Abdulfatah.

The governor was nurtured into political relevance by the nation’s third citizen when he was also a governor in the state.
At the outset, the Senate President reportedly fought his late father, Dr Olusola Saraki, for backing Gbemi Saraki, his sister, instead of Abdulfatah. The older Saraki did not recover from the shock till he breathed his last.

However, it seems there is no love lost between Saraki and the governor now in view of the current developments in the state.
It was gathered that the senatorial ticket that was earlier given to Abdulfattah, which is said to have solidified his influence and rating in the Saraki structure, has just been yanked off his hand.

This, it was further learnt, is not unconnected with the inability of the governor to handle the threat facing the Saraki political structure in his base.

Many couldn’t hold back their surprise weeks ago when Saraki suffered what many described as a shameful defeat in the by-election for Ekiti/ Oke Ero/ Isin/ Irepodun Federal Constituency.

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, was floored by the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the Kwara South Senatorial district, where the governor had emerged the candidate of the PDP.

A source described the development as an “abomination and a major blow”, which Saraki couldn’t swallow.
“This has halted the governor’s march to the Senate,” the source disclosed.

Another source hinted that many of Saraki’s loyalists voted against PDP because of the senatorial ticket that was hijacked from the incumbent, Abdulrafiu Ibrahim, and given to the governor.

Saraki was convinced that the refusal of Abdulrafiu’s sympathisers to work for the PDP owing to the fact that he was denied the senatorial ticket resulted in the shameful loss in the by-election.

“This has further exposed the Governor as a mere political feather weight in the Senatorial constituency he wanted to take charge of.
“Saraki opted to appease the Abdulrafiu camp by taking away the Senatorial ticket from Ahmed.

‘’Naturally, it did not go down well with the Governor and he is planning his own political strategy that will shock the Senate President,’’ another source stated.

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