ADVERTISEMENT
The Sun Nigeria
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
  • The Sun Foundation
No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
  • The Sun Foundation
No Result
View All Result
The Sun Nigeria
No Result
View All Result
ADVERTISEMENT
Home National

Bukola Saraki: In a different race after a fierce battle

5th August 2018
in National
0
SARAKI - BATTLE
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

For all he cares, the calculated shift of allegiance, to say the least, is the beginning of another battle of a titan.

Omoniyi Salaudeen

TUESDAY’S defection of Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is an epoch of the moment, which is still reverberating in the polity, understandably because of his position as the number three citizen in the country. The long-awaited defection was an anti-climax of the power play intrigues that heralded his emergence as the leader of the hallowed chamber against the wish of his party.

READ ALSO: Saraki’s defection and change of order

In a terse statement released following his reunion with the PDP, the overtly ambitious Senator cited irreconcilable differences with his former party as his reason for jumping ship, confirming the speculation of his nurtured aspiration to take a shot at the presidency in 2019.

This, of course, may not have come as a surprise to the APC, which has linked Saraki to a string of political maneuverings allegedly interpreted to be a deliberate plot to undermine the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Saraki, in his overt ambition to assume the leadership of the 8th National Assembly at its inauguration in June 2015 had taken precedence from the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal, who had to defy the PDP to clinch the seat and thereafter shifted loyalty to the defunct ACN. But while the PDP humbly swallowed the pill of humiliation and accepted Tambuwal’s rebellion, Saraki on the other hand had been at loggerheads with the APC, as he was hounded, rundown, and humiliated in his celebrated trial for false asset declaration instituted against him by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

READ ALSO: The triumph of Saraki

In making the latest shift of allegiance, Saraki must have been emboldened by the recent judgment of the Supreme Court that gave him a clean bill of health after battle, which began on September 22, 2015. Reacting to the apex court judgment, he said: “The case was trumped up in the first instance because of my emergence as the President of the Senate against the wishes of certain forces. Ordinarily, I doubt anyone would be interested in the asset declaration form I filled over 15 years ago.

For all he cares, the calculated shift of allegiance, to say the least, is the beginning of another battle of a titan. What remains to be seen is whether allegations of corruption and complicity in the recent Offa robbery incident that have continued to dog his footsteps will undermine his new sojourn and ambition.

Although the apex court has cleared the pathway for him, the ugly public perception foisted on him by the corruption trial remains an albatross, which will continue to haunt him ahead of his campaigns for his new political tour for 2019.

His erstwhile party, APC, has also accused him of being instrumental to the friction between President Buhari and members of the legislature, a development the party claimed was largely responsible for the slow pace of governance in the country since it took over the reign of power in 2015. Pointedly, the Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, while reacting to his defection after Wednesday’s cabinet meeting said: “Saraki has behaved all along as if he was a member of the opposition, deliberately slowing down the progress of the APC.”

Yet, the defecting lawmakers in an extraordinary joint statement had denounced Buhari for failing to tackle rising violence and using the security services to hound opponents. But as Saraki has now crossed over to the defensive, more of such onslaughts are likely to be launched against the president in the months ahead, particularly with the new balance of forces in the two chambers of the National Assembly. Last week, 16 lawmakers in the upper house left the APC for PDP, likewise 32 in the lower house.

READ ALSO: The gale of defections

Hit by the gale of defections, the APC leadership has demanded that Saraki relinquish his position as Senate President since he rode on the back of the party to clinch it. Just last Thursday too, the PDP made him its national leader, as he is now holding the highest office in the party, thereby replacing the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, who had hitherto held the position.

Born into one of Nigeria’s wealthiest and most politically prominent families on December 19, 1962, Saraki is treading a familiar terrain. His late father, Abubakar Olusola Saraki (aka Oloye), a Second Republic Senate Majority Leader, was a de facto kingmaker in his home state of Kwara. Since the younger Saraki stepped into his father’s shoes, he has left no one in doubt that he had been well groomed to take charge of the dynasty and sustain its survival.

He has been President of the Nigeria’s Senate since 2015. He was also the Kwara State governor from 2003 to 2011. He attended the Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry from 1982 to 1987. He is married with children.

Tags: APCCCTdefectionekweremaduHouse of Representativeslai mohammednational assemblyPDPsarakisenate presidentTambuwal
David

David

Sun News Online team

Related Posts

You’ll end well in office –Primate of Nigeria Anglican church tells Governor Ugwuanyi
National

You’ll end well in office –Primate of Nigeria Anglican church tells Governor Ugwuanyi

1st February 2023
Reps resume plenary Monday
National

Reps approve Buhari’s N1trn loan request, defer approval on N22.7trn extra-budgetary spending

1st February 2023
Gates Foundation earmarks $35m for Nigerian, African farmers
National

Gates Foundation earmarks $35m for Nigerian, African farmers

1st February 2023
Next Post
FALSE PROPHETS

Election predictions: Politicians fault prophetic pastors

TANKER

Tanker crushes 4 to death in Rivers

JIGAWA

Ogun gets new date for airlift of pilgrims to Mecca

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Highlights

2023: Leadway Assurance committed to risk management, as AI, data-driven  operations 

Lekki Deep Ports turns new bride as landlocked countries dump Cotonou, Togo 

Delta invests N20bn in gas project

ANLCA charges newly promoted Customs officers to add value to  trade facilitation 

NITDA engages foreign, local partners on digital acceleration for Nigerian startups

SkillUpImo: Tech giants race to  employ graduands in Imo State

Trending

Peseiro goes tough on players
Sporting Sun

Peseiro hails Flying Eagles unbeaten run 

1st February 2023
0

Super Eagles Head Coach, José Santos Peseiro was present at the NFF/FIFA Goal Project pitch on Tuesday...

New notes: Bank customers groan as queues at banks’ ATMs, soaring PoS charges persist  

New notes: Bank customers groan as queues at banks’ ATMs, soaring PoS charges persist  

1st February 2023
NAICOM, underwriters haven’t  been fair to us- Loss Adjusters lament 

NAICOM, underwriters haven’t  been fair to us- Loss Adjusters lament 

1st February 2023
2023: Leadway Assurance committed to risk management, as AI, data-driven  operations 

2023: Leadway Assurance committed to risk management, as AI, data-driven  operations 

1st February 2023
Lekki Deep Ports turns new bride as landlocked countries dump Cotonou, Togo 

Lekki Deep Ports turns new bride as landlocked countries dump Cotonou, Togo 

1st February 2023
ADVERTISEMENT

Follow us on social media:

Latest News

  • Peseiro hails Flying Eagles unbeaten run 
  • New notes: Bank customers groan as queues at banks’ ATMs, soaring PoS charges persist  
  • NAICOM, underwriters haven’t  been fair to us- Loss Adjusters lament 
  • 2023: Leadway Assurance committed to risk management, as AI, data-driven  operations 
  • Lekki Deep Ports turns new bride as landlocked countries dump Cotonou, Togo 
  • Delta invests N20bn in gas project
  • ANLCA charges newly promoted Customs officers to add value to  trade facilitation 
  • NITDA engages foreign, local partners on digital acceleration for Nigerian startups
  • SkillUpImo: Tech giants race to  employ graduands in Imo State
  • Classera raises $40m Series A funding in EdTech
  • Coinazer, Africa’s first web-based crypto payment gate, wallet system  debuts in Nigeria
  • SFS Fund mobile app records increase in users’ download by 300%
  • Naira redesign: Depositors’ funds intact –Emefiele
  • Nigeria’s public debt rises to N44.06trn –NBS
  • W/Bank tasks Nigeria on broadband penetration 
  • Cashless system helps in tracking election financing –Osinbajo
  • Enugu govt, World Bank splash N3.4bn grant on farmers
  • Nigeria’s Eurobonds down again after Moody’s rating downgrade
  • AfDB’s financing for women busineseshits  $1bn
  • LIRS boss, Subair, bags Vanguard Public Sector Icon Award

Categories

  • Abuja Metro
  • Anambra Watch
  • Arts
  • Broken Tongues
  • Business
  • Business Week
  • Cartoons
  • Citizen Joe
  • Columns
  • Cover
  • Culture
  • Duro Onabule
  • Editorial
  • Education Review
  • Effect
  • Elections
  • Entertainment
  • Events
  • Features
  • Femi Adesina
  • Food & Drinks
  • Frank Talk
  • Funke Egbemode
  • Gallery
  • Global Square by Kenneth Okonkwo
  • Health
  • Insights
  • Kalu Leadership Series
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Kunle Solaja
  • Letters
  • Lifeline
  • Lifestyle
  • Literary Review
  • Marketing Matters
  • Muiz Banire
  • National
  • News
  • Offside Musings
  • Opinion
  • oriental news
  • Politics
  • Press Release
  • PressClips
  • Public Sphere
  • Ralph Egbu
  • Shola Oshunkeye
  • Sideview
  • South-west Magazine
  • Sponsored Post
  • Sporting Sun
  • Sports
  • Sun Girl
  • Tea Time
  • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
  • The Sun Awards Live
  • The Sun TV
  • Thoughts & Talks
  • Time Out
  • Today's cover
  • Tola Adeniyi
  • Travel
  • Travel & Tourism
  • Trending
  • TSWeekend
  • Turf Game
  • Uncategorized
  • Updates
  • Views from Abroad
  • Voices
  • World
  • World News
  • About Us
  • Paper Ad Rate
  • Online Ad Rate
  • Change of Name
  • The Team
  • Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.

No Result
View All Result
  • National
  • Columns
    • Broken Tongues
    • Capital Matters
    • Diabetes Corner
    • Duro Onabule
    • Femi Adesina
    • Frank Talk
    • Funke Egbemode
    • Insights
    • Kalu Leadership Series
    • Kunle Solaja
    • Offside Musings
    • PressClips
    • Public Sphere
    • Ralph Egbu
    • Shola Oshunkeye
    • Sideview
    • The Flipside – Eric Osagie
    • Tola Adeniyi
  • Business
  • Politics
  • Entertainment
  • The Sun TV
  • Sporting Sun
  • The Sun Foundation

© 2019 The Sun Nigeria - Managed by Netsera.