Senate President Bukola Saraki
Abdullahi Samari, a factional leader of the APC in Kwara state, has described as undemocratic alleged automatic tickets offered serving aggrieved senators and members of the House of Representatives.
Samari, who is the Deputy Chairman of the Kwara state APC faction, is loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari.
”On the issue of automatic tickets for the serving senators, representatives and others as requested by the over ambitious politicians, this is an attempt to annihilate credible candidates and stifle participatory democracy,” he said.
“President Muhammadu Buhari and our national Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, who are products of effective and functional democracy, should not be part of this undemocratic and devilish move.”
He also boasted that Saraki had lost political relevance in Kwara, claiming that the recent welcome by a mammoth crowd for him during his first visit to the state was stage managed.
But the other faction in the state laughed off Samari’s claim.
Spokesman for the Saraki-backed APC in the state, Sulyman Buhari, said, “It is laughable for anyone to say that Saraki is not a political heavyweight. The media briefing is just a gathering of disgruntled politicians. Even those who are telling Bukola Saraki not to dump the APC know his value politically even beyond Kwara. If they say he is not relevant, I think they are not politically aware.”