Editor, Politics/Features, EMEKA ALEX DURU, examines the different dimensions of Senate President, Bukola Saraki’s trials and their impact on governance.
By the close of last week, it was obvious that the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, was not having the best of times. Not that he had particularly enjoyed his stay in office since his controversial emergence in June, last year. But the dimensions of his impasse seem to be widening almost on daily basis.
On the one hand, Saraki has been battling to keep his job at the Senate, which his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has, incidentally, been putting everything in place to take away from him. However, with friendly colleagues in the party and allies in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he has been weathering the storm and has managed to remain afloat, so far.
But his case at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) seems to be the issue currently giving his supporters grave concern. This is because an unfavourable outcome on the case would not only see him losing the exalted office, but may cost him membership of the upper lawmaking house, aside possible imprisonment. But like a veteran of political intrigues, Saraki is fighting back, apparently with the hope of emerging victorious. Or so it seems.
Going for the broke
Uncertain angles to the CCT affair began to emerge last week, when the head of the Tribunal, Justice Danladi Umar, ordered that hearing would henceforth hold from 10am to 6pm daily, till the conclusion of the case.
“Let me state it here for both the prosecution and the defence that the trial of the defendant shall proceed on a day-to-day basis till the conclusion of this matter, and it will begin from 10am to 6pm,” Justice Umar held.
Two major deductions were arrived at by keen followers of the trial on the basis of the pronouncement. The first was the judge’s aversion to further adjournments on the matter. Also, there was the interpretation that by the order, Justice Umar had subtly turned down summons on him by the Senate Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions Committee to appear before it over an allegation of his investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on graft-related matters.
The committee had on Monday, April 18, summoned Umar to appear before it “unfailingly” on Thursday by 2pm, following allegation of bribery against him.
The invitation on the CCT chairman did not go down well with critics. Apparently in deference to public opinion, there were reports on Wednesday that the committee had stepped down the summons.
On account of the development, coupled with Umar’s insistence on the daily trial, chieftains of APC who had been angling for Saraki’s head had literally been on victory lap, even while the case was yet to be concluded.
At the Lagos secretariat of the party, officials were in frenzied mood on the imminent exit of the Senate President. A senior official, who asked not to be mentioned, told our reporter: “We saw it coming. He (Saraki) has eventually been boxed to a corner. He is at his wits’ end. In a matter of days or, at worst, weeks, he will be mentioned only in the past. This is a price for treachery.”
The State Publicity Secretary of the party, Joe Igbokwe, had earlier argued in this manner, stressing that Saraki would not escape from his current travail. According to him, the Senate President, in his ordeal, is paying for disrespecting APC.
Igbokwe said: “APC does not want Bukola Saraki as the Senate President. Saraki has caused enough implosions within the party. He has brought public opprobrium to the party. He has slowed down the party’s machinery from taking off smoothly. He has portrayed us as a weak party. Now is the time for him to go. Saraki has no choice than to go; otherwise he will have himself to blame.”
The party’s National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, also alluded to this hard stance, when he remarked, last week, that APC would not seek political solution for the Senate President. Not even the threat of APC losing the seat to PDP in the event of Saraki’s exit, could move the chairman.
While not ruling out the interest of APC retaining the position, Odigie-Oyegun remarked that even if the matter came to a curious turn of the party losing the seat to PDP, it would not be too much of a sacrifice for entrenchment of democracy.
“We don’t take anything for granted. As they are planning, we are also planning. The situation is under control. The whole situation is unfortunate, but it is real.
“What political situation in a legal matter? Are the judges politicians? The President is certainly not the type who will interfere in a judicial matter. I think we know him well. Everybody must know him. Things must be done normally. And that is part of the change mantra that we must play by the rule so that we don’t truncate processes.
“People don’t seem to internalise what change is. If the President says ‘court, free that man’, the same president can say ‘court, imprison that man’. Is that the Nigeria you want? No! Change means allowing the law to take the proper course. I can tell you, the President won’t interfere. The President is straight-definite; straight and firm in all facets.
“I don’t think we will lose that position. But sometimes, for change to take place, there is a price you have to pay. So losing the position may be sacrifice for change,” Odigie-Oyegun reportedly told an online medium, Premium Times.
PDP weighs in
With APC literally singing requiem for Saraki’s Senate Presidency, even when the CCT is yet to deliver its judgment, PDP is said to be plotting to grab the seat. With the party counting on bloc votes from its 49 senators, there are estimations that it will draw from the fragments of obviously disillusioned Saraki loyalists in APC to get the simple majority needed in the 108-member chamber to produce the Senate President.
Insinuations were high during the week that in apparent preparation for the titanic battle ahead, PDP is positioning the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu. Aside his experience in lawmaking, he is credited with extensive network of contacts among his colleagues. TheNiche gathered that in addition to his humble carriage in relating with other senators, what also appears to be going for Ekweremadu is his being in the good books of senators in the two opposing camps in the chamber – the Unity Forum and the Like Minds.
Efforts to get official reactions from PDP on the issue did not yield results, as the party’s publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, neither picked nor returned his calls last Tuesday. Not even short message service (sms) forwarded to his telephone line was attended to by the close of the week.
This notwithstanding, the body language of the senators on the platform of the party had, before now, indicated that in the event of Saraki being hushed out of office, they would put in efforts to take the seat.
TheNiche, for instance, learnt that two weeks ago, the PDP senators met for several hours to take a decision on the issue.
Confirming the development later, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Peter Nwaoboshi (PDP Delta North), sounded optimistic that the party would produce the next Senate President.
He said: “Should the incumbent, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, be forced to vacate the office, we have perfected necessary arrangements to take over the upper chamber.”
PDP, he added, is ready to replicate the current system in the United States of America (U.S.A.), where the Republicans are in charge of the Congress, while the Democrats are in control of the Executive.
“In any case, in my party, the PDP, we have resolved in our meeting to support him (Saraki). So, there is no basis for him to resign,” Nwaoboshi stressed.
Saraki battles for life
While the intrigues and permutations go on, Saraki, it was gathered, remains unruffled, at least, outwardly. Endowed with enormous financial war chest and credited with huge appetite for political battles – attributes he is said to have inherited from his late father, the acclaimed strongman of Kwara politics, Olusola Saraki – the Senate President, according to associates, is not overtly perturbed by his current travails.
According to his aide when he was Kwara State governor, “Bukola (Saraki) is not one you can easily intimidate. He studied under his father, Oloye (Olusola Saraki) on the intrigues of the game. He knew when his father was Nigeria’s Senate Leader in the Second Republic, the conspiracies he faced leading to his suspension and how he overcame them. Don’t also forget that even lately, Bukola dared Oloye, the undisputed strongman of Kwara politics, and had his way. You will see how he will walk through his trials unhurt. He did it when, against all odds, he beat APC (stalwarts) to their game in emerging Senate President. He will do so again.”
Journey to the unknown
The current phase of Saraki’s ordeal began to take shape on September 11, 2015, when he was charged to CCT by the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) over allegations of false declaration of his assets, contrary to constitutional requirements.
Part of the accusation was that he deliberately manipulated the assets declaration form that he filed prior to his assumption of office as the Senate President, by making anticipatory declaration of assets.
He was equally accused of failing to declare some assets he acquired while in office as governor, from 2003 to 2011.
Besides, he was expected to explain before the CCT how he acquired some assets which the Federal Government believed were beyond his legitimate earnings.
Following the charges against him, Saraki has been engaged in gruelling encounter with the Muhammadu Buhari-led Federal Government with which he has not enjoyed any cosy relationship since his emergence as Senate President on June 9, 2015.
Making of a Senate President
Saraki had cornered the post in contrast to the original agenda of the APC. The leadership of the party had preferred Ahmed Lawan for the job. However, acting in league with Like Minds in APC and PDP senators, Saraki took advantage of the absence the other APC senators to be returned as Senate President, without contest.
In what was considered further affront on the party, his Deputy, Ekweremadu, emerged from PDP. Saraki also picked other senators not sanctioned by the party as principal officers of the upper lawmaking house.
APC has not forgiven him, ever since. Buhari, somehow, got involved in the fray by exhibiting body language that expressed more than a passing interest on the issue, contrary to his earlier pledge of not getting involved in the leadership crisis in the National Assembly.
Aside his sudden emphasis on supremacy of the party at APC fora, which many interpreted as veiled threat to Saraki, Buhari allegedly blocked every opportunity of meeting with the Senate President.
In similar vein, elected and unelected APC leaders have on their own not concealed their animosity at the Senate leadership. Thus, loathed by an obviously vindictive presidency and viciously preyed upon by a ravenous APC leadership, Saraki had, from his first day in office as Senate President, become a marked man.
It is, therefore, hardly surprising that as he stews in his current predicament, leading members of his party that ordinarily should have rallied round him have been dancing to frenzy of sorts.
The fear is that even if he manages to swim out of the current crisis, there are still no chances of the Senate President enjoying smooth working relationship with the Presidency and his crisis-ridden APC.