It was a
development foretold but it was equally an eloquent testimony to the veracity
of that ageless axiom: history has a way of repeating itself.
Before
appraising the emergence of Abubakar Bukola Saraki as senate president and the
crowning of Yakubu Dogara as speaker of the house of representatives, you have
to rewind to early June 2011. The then ruling PDP had zoned the speakership to
the south-west.
But Aminu
Tambuwal, now governor of Sokoto state, had other ideas. Relying on the
opposition then, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), which did not want the
PDP to have any foothold in the south-west through any high ranking public
figure, Tambuwal went against the directive of his party.
He not
only emerged speaker, he romanced the opposition throughout his reign. That was
the most audacious challenge to the PDP since its creation in 1998.
A GAME OF HIGH STAKES
Fast-forward
to 48 months later and the same scenario has played out itself. But this time
around,
the stakes are higher and the players are veterans in the game of
political subterfuge. Bola
Tinubu. Bukola Saraki. Ahmad Lawan. George Akume.
The ruling
APC had made it clear that the official candidate was Lawan. But Saraki would
have none of that. A “primary” election had produced, expectedly, Lawan, but
Saraki’s supporters under the aegis of Senators of Like Minds, kicked against
it, claiming that the mock election was arranged to favour Lawan.
They vowed
that their man would contest nonetheless. With the 51 senators pro-Lawan
absent, Saraki emerged senate president with 57 votes.
Since
simple majority is needed to win, Saraki carried the day. The real issue here
was not the emergence of Saraki but the seeming rebirth of the PDP and the decimation
of Tinubu’s influence.
Ike
Ekweremadu, the last deputy senate president, still a PDP member, was nominated
as Saraki’s deputy and he was also returned.
TAMING THE LION
The
victories of Saraki and Dogara were a major blow to Tinubu whose influence in
the APC is obviously rankling many leaders of the party and ruffling not a few
feathers.
Yemi
Osinbajo, Tinubu’s choice, had emerged as Buhari’s running mate after Tinubu
himself failed to clinch it last year. Tinubu was also the man pushing the
candidacy of Femi Gbajabiamila for speaker. He was the man behind the Lawan
project for the senate presidency, although Buhari’s name was frequently
mentioned as the prime mover.
If Lawan
and Gbajabiamila had won, Tinubu would have helped produce the vice-president,
senate president as well as the speaker. That is: No. 2, No. 3 and No. 4. The
turn of events means the Lion of Bourdillon has been tamed, at least for now.
The battle will now shift to the cabinet…
THE PDP ‘COUP DE GRACE’…
THE PDP ‘COUP DE GRACE’…
The
opposition PDP was instrumental to the emergence of Saraki and Dogara. And it
might have marked the rebirth of the party as it has now tested its strength in
the new dispensation.
It is expected that APC will try to squeeze out Saraki
and Dogara – given the statement issued by the party kicking against their
election.
But since
at least two thirds majority is needed to impeach the senate president or
speaker, it will always be difficult to achieve.
As long as the PDP lawmakers
remain behind Saraki and Dogara, all they need to do is to preserve his own
camp within the APC. If APC does not play the game better, they may end up
pushing Saraki and Dogara and their camps out and that could give PDP back the
majority in both chambers.
The highlight
of PDP’s rebirth is, against all odds, the party is retaining the senate deputy
president slot through Ike Ekweremadu.
With the
emergence of Saraki and Dogara, the rebuilding of PDP may have started. It was
no coincidence that these two gentlemen were members of the PDP until the
crisis.
Dogara and
Saraki were part of PDP that gave President Goodluck Jonathan a run for his
political money before defecting to the APC. Now that the new PDP is in
“charge” of the national assembly, many will not be surprised if these men are
back in PDP before the end of their tenures.
BUHARI BAFFLED
President
Buhari is learning the realities of Nigerian politics the hard way.
He had
always insisted that he would not interfere in the choice of the leadership of
the two chambers of the national assembly.
But upon
return from Germany earlier Tuesday, he had to call an emergency meeting of the
APC senators-elect to counter the moves by PDP.
The Saraki
camp did not attend the meeting. But even the president himself did not attend,
raising questions about how much he knew about the invitations sent to APC
lawmakers.
In a
statement issued by his spokesman after the events of Tuesday, Buhari expressed
regrets that the APC members did not follow the process put in place by the
party.
He,
notably, refused to congratulate the winners but promised to work with them.
Again, he
maintained that he did not have any preferred candidates.
But he
appears genuinely baffled by the turn of events.
The
Tuesday Thriller could just be the beginning of plenty drama in this new
dispensation.
Culled from TheCable.
Culled from TheCable.
Nawa for this reforming and regrouping....
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