Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan reports on the schemes by the Peoples Democratic Party to take Senator Bukola Saraki’s seat
Following strong indications that the leadership chairs in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria may have to revolve again soon, if the happenings at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) in Abuja, where Senate President Bukola Saraki is being tried by the Federal Government for alleged false assets declaration, is anything to go by, senators and other stakeholders in the National Assembly have stepped up their games in the search for a possible successor to the embattled former governor of Kwara State.
Reliable National Assembly sources, who spoke with The Nation on the issue during the week, stated as a result of some damning revelations made so far at the ongoing trial, many senators, including die-hard supports of Saraki, are skeptical of his chances of surviving his current ordeals.
While the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is reportedly putting its house in order to ensure that it is not caught unawares whenever the need to replace Saraki arises, the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), according to party sources, is determined to turn the table and produce the next Senate President should Saraki, believed to be an ally of the PDP caucus in the National Assembly, eventually lose his seat.
Many of the senators, from both divides in the National Assembly, observed that the search in various camps for a successor to Saraki is informed by the realisation that sooner or later, it will no longer be contestable that the Senate President lacks the morality and credibility to remain in office.
“Nigerians are not the type of people that will not stop to keep quiet and allow Saraki enjoy his seat as the details of the allegations against him unfolds at the CCT. More so, we foresee a situation where his ongoing trial will affect his functions as the Senate President and force him to stand down,” a Senator from Kogi State told The Nation.
PDP’s bid
Senators elected on the platform of the opposition PDP have been speaking of how they intend to displace the ruling APC from the leadership of the National Assembly by producing the next Senate President after Saraki. While the APC continues to keep its cards close to its chest, many PDP senators have been speaking assuredly of what will happen after Saraki’s exit.
The PDP, it was gathered, is banking on the possibility of fresh disaffection breaking out among APC senators in the event that the Senate President is consumed by his ongoing trial at the CCT. Sources claim the opposition party has started reaching out to prominent pro-Saraki senators as part of efforts to actualise the plot.
“Our plan is to either get them to defect to the PDP or work with the party just as we did with them, to produce the Senate President if Saraki is convicted by the CCT. We are sure some APC senators will vote for our candidate along with the PDP senators because, as you can see, many of our colleagues are unhappy with the way the Senate President is being treated and are resolved to stop those behind his travail from taking over the senate,” a PDP senator told The Nation.
Reliable sources stated a meeting between PDP leaders in the senate and prominent supporters of the Senate President would be held this weekend in Abuja to discuss the issue and arrive at a position ahead of any eventuality. As stated by a reliable source, to be discussed in addition to a possible successor, are plans of ensuring that the Senate President is not stampeded out of office soon by APC senators and other anti-Saraki forces.
Senator Clifford Ordia, while speaking on the matter, stated if Saraki is removed, PDP would produce his successor. He added that PDP Senators have resolved to present one of them to seek the position while PDP as a party, is waiting with keen interest as events unfold.
“PDP will produce the next Senate President if Senate President Bukola Saraki is removed. PDP Senators are waiting with keen interest. In a democracy, the Executive does not choose who should be the Senate President; this is what the 8th Senate has done by getting its own presiding officer. By singling out Saraki to punish is unacceptable, we will stand by him,” he stated.
Also, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaoboshi, recently stated the opposition political party, would produce Saraki’s successor. He affirmed that the opposition PDP has the numerical requirement to make a move for the leadership of the senate.
“We only need three and we have it. The calculation is very clear to me. The calculation is very clear for PDP. We know what it will take us. It is clearer to me now that the PDP will win it. We will win it. If anybody is thinking that a PDP man is going to vote against a PDP candidate, he is telling you a lie.
We have people and we know how to get the people from APC. We will win and that will be very interesting. What is happening in America is going to happen in Nigeria. America has a Republican Senate but the Executive is led by Democrats. So, it’s happening in different parts of the world. I can tell you with what’s on the ground that we will produce the next Senate President,” he stated.
The Nation gathered that apart from efforts of the leadership of the PDP caucus in the National Assembly to garner enough support to actualise the dream of controlling the senate, the new PDP national leadership under Senator Alli Modu Sherif, is desirous of clinching the position as a way of returning the embattled party to reckoning ahead of the 2019 general elections.
“The current situation in the senate as we speak is largely that of skepticism. Many of us are worried that the Senate President may have been cornered after all. As politicians, we are not going to put all our eggs in one basket as the matter unfolds. That is why you hear so much talk about a possible successor.
“While we are still very much in support of Saraki, we are approaching the matter with a lot of caution. Those who are after the Senate President are doing this for a purpose. We also have our eyes on that purpose with a view to ensuring that they didn’t achieve their desire of foisting a sectional leadership on this hallowed Assembly.
“Even the leadership of our party is part of this quest to actualise the return of PDP to the leadership of the National Assembly. To our new National Chairman, it will be a great way to start re-introducing the party to Nigerians as we look forward to the 2019 general elections,” our source, a Senator from Ekiti State, stated.
Already, PDP senators have been meeting in Abuja to discuss the way forward for the party, especially on how to corner the Senate Presidency in the event of Saraki’s resignation or conviction by the CCT. One of such meetings, sources claim, was held last Monday evening at the residence of a principal officer of the Senate from the Southern part of the country.
Twist in the bid
Meanwhile a subtle political contest may have started amongst PDP senators over which of its members may eventually be pushed forward to seek to succeed Saraki as the Senate President when the need arises. The Nation gathered that currently, the party’s caucus is having a choice to make between returning former Senate President David Mark to the seat or backing Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu for the plum job.
The Nation gathered that following Saraki’s failure to secure a judgment from the Supreme Court stopping his trial the last week, PDP senators started showing open support for the choices of either Mark or Ekweremadu as the party caucus intensified its strategies on how to take over from Saraki, holding series of meetings where they canvassed for the support of their colleagues.
At a meeting held during the week, with the PDP National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and other prominent party stakeholders in attendance, the names of both Mark and Ekweremadu were thrown into the ring by their supporters as likely candidates of the party’s caucus for the position.
A senator who was at the meeting confirmed that it was called to discuss the burning issue of Saraki’s trial and what should happen afterwards. He further explained that while the caucus is yet to decide on who to back for the position should Saraki quit; it has resolved to support a PDP senator come what may.
“The final decision of the particular senator to support is yet to be taken because we are still very optimistic that Senator Saraki may weather this storm through successfully. However, one thing we have done is to resolve that whatever happens, should the need arise; we will back a PDP senator for the job.
“At the last meeting held to discuss the matter, we even had our party leaders around to show the seriousness the PDP attaches to the issue at stake. It was confirmed at the meeting that we have what it takes to take a shot at the senate presidency. We want to leave nobody in doubt that we are ready to go for it,” our source stated.
While neither Mark nor Ekweremadu has come out openly to indicate interest in the position, The Nation learnt that their supporters are leaving no stone unturned as they struggle to sell their candidacy to PDP and APC senators alike. In fact, the Deputy Senate President has been telling whoever cares to listen that there will be no change in the leadership of the senate.
The arguments
But a senator from the South-East, who is a prominent ally of the embattled Senate President, stated many members of the Saraki kitchen cabinet have already bought into the idea of Ekweremadu succeeding Saraki. As stated by him, it became easy for them to look in the direction of the Deputy Senate President because he is also a die-hard Saraki loyalist.
“Ekweremadu is one of us. In the possibility of Saraki losing out, we are under pressure to consider a replacement that will maintain the status quo in the senate and avoid the rumpus that usually comes with change in leadership. An Ekweremadu-led Senate will have little or no changes to make to the current arrangement.
“It is also instructive to note that an Ekweremadu candidacy is in support of widespread call for the South-East to be adequately accommodated in the current power equation. Many of our colleagues are sympathetic towards this permutation and we expect them to buy into it when the time comes,” our source stated.
The Nation also learnt that the South-East caucus in the National Assembly has revived its cries of marginalisation with Ekweremadu himself recently calling on the federal government to stop provoking Igbos. He added that the Igbo would resist further attempts to disrespect or marginalise them in the governance of the country.
His words: “As Ndigbo, we are going through trying periods; we are being provoked everyday by the government of the country; by the way they treat our people especially and the marginalisation going on at the level of the Federal government. We are all aware of the contributions of the Igbo to the growth and development of this country. We have done so much for this country and we deserve some amount of respect; and until we get our respect, Nigeria will not be the same.
“So, any person who thinks the Igbo will be relegated is joking; we believe in equity and justice. We will never accept a situation where Igbo or any other tribe for that matter, is excluded in the governance of this country. Nigeria belongs to all of us.”
Observers of the happenings in the senate says Ekweremadu’s camp is hoping to leverage on the number of senators from the South-East to sway the PDP caucus to adopt Ekweremadu, who is also believed to enjoy sizable support among some APC senators in Saraki’s camp.
But another group within the opposition party would rather have Mark returned as the Senate President. This group is citing the Benue Senator’s performance as a stabilising factor while he was in charge of the National Assembly as one major reason why he should succeed Saraki.
The current zoning arrangement, according to some Senators, also favors the return of Mark. “There is no need to alter the current zoning arrangement so as to avoid crises. Saraki is from the North-Central and Mark is from the same zone. So, the safest thing to do is to support Mark for the job. His pedigree as a performer will also win us votes across party lines,” our source stated.
.....The Nation