Northern political leaders are losing patience with President Muhammadu Buhari and All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, John Odigie-Oyegun, because of the domineering influence of Bola Tinubu on Aso Rock.
Another impetus for angst about Tinubu, former Lagos State Governor now an APC grandee and one of its moneybags, is that he allegedly wants Yusuf Lasun to resign as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives.
There is talk in the corridors of power in Abuja that Tinubu fears that Lasun will erode his influence on South West politics.
A top member of the APC National Working Committee (NWC), who spoke on condition of anonymity, disclosed that Northerners are not comfortable with Tinubu’s overbearing influence and want to stop him from derailing the administration.
They are also angling for how to get rid of Oyegun whom they accuse of being subservient to Tinubu.
Oyegun was the National Chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), one of the three parties that formed the APC. But ACN was under the control of Tinubu.
Oyegun blamed for accepting Tinubu’s nominees
The source said Northern political leaders blame Oyegun for not being firm in handling the conflict in the APC, a fallout from the election of the National Assembly (NASS) leadership, because he panders to the dictates of Tinubu.
Northerners also suspect that the slow pace of Buhari’s programmes is linked to his desire to please Tinubu, especially in the appointment of key government functionaries.
The source disclosed that “Northern political leaders in the APC are not happy with Buhari because of his willingness to please Tinubu in taking key decisions. They are also moving against Oyegun who they see as playing out Tinubu’s script.
“If this is not quickly put under check, it may cause a big problem for our party.”
He added that everything is being done to prevent the removal of Oyegun because it will send out a wrong signal about the APC.
Nonetheless, according to the source, Oyegun is blamed for accepting the nominees of Tinubu for the posts of NASS principal officers.
“If he had subjected that list to clearance from the NWC, perhaps it wouldn’t have generated this heat which has led to the fracas in the National Assembly and its abrupt adjournment for one month.
“[Oyegun] is being seen as ceding his powers to external forces who are doing everything possible to pocket the party, but we are working very hard to nip all these skirmishes in the board.”
He condemned “the vaulting ambition of some leaders of the party who want to grab everything available without having any consideration for people from other parts of the country.”
Oyegun denies bribe allegation
Oyegun sprang to his own defence by denying allegation that he collected bribe to support Saraki to emerge as Senate President.
He spoke when a group called South East South South Professionals (SESSP) visited him at the APC national secretariat in Abuja, expressing shock at the allegation that he pitched Northern members of the party against those from the South.
“There is nothing they have not said about me, but when you ask what has the man done, one of their reports said the present executive cannot win us election in 2019. Good lord! You’ve not even finished 2015, you’re talking about 2019.
“They also talked about the elite of the North being against the people of the South West. Am I from the North, am I the one organising them? he queried.
Oyegun denied taking gratification from anyone in the NASS and insisted that no amount of smear campaign would rubbish a character he has built over time.
“The one that annoys me is the attempt to rubbish 75 solid years of a character that I’ve put together. They said I take gratification. Gratification for what purpose?
“The only people who can say that are the people who don’t know my background or history. I was just over 30 when I started joining teams that were buying aircraft from Holland and the United States. That could not corrupt me.
“I was on the board of the Railways (Nigerian Railway Corporation, NRC), NPA (Nigerian Ports Authority) and the rest of them. If all these did not make me corrupt, how can I, at 76, take money? Money from who to do what?
“I was Chairman of FHA (Federal Housing Authority). Let them go and check the record, I did not award a single piece of land to myself or to any member of my family.
“What they call Satellite Village today, myself and Fola Alade went out physically inspecting land for building low cost housing and we finally settled for low cost houses in Badagry.
“I would have to settled for a piece of land, I could have acquired acres and the compensation the government was paying would have covered that.
“Out of love for my country and democracy resistance to the continuation of military rule, I was in exile for four years during which my economic base was totally obliterated.
“By the time I came back, I was barely carrying a deadly bone, (former President Olusegun) Obasanjo is a close friend, but throughout his eight years’ tenure, I didn’t enter Aso Rock to curry favour. That is the kind of person I am.
“When they say I’m taking money from a senator, to do what? I am not a senator, I cannot vote, I cannot by being chairman [of the APC] pronounce him [Saraki] as Senate president or Senate leader. So what is he giving me money for?
“How many people know me personally? It is annoying, it is dirty, it is crude, it is unbecoming, and it can only be people who are totally devoid of conscience at any level of humanity that can do things of that nature.”
Oyegun thanked the leadership of the SESSP for showing solidarity with him at a time of crisis but declared that the campaign against him does not cause him to lose sleep.
“I have God who is so protective of me that the people who have done this thing will eventually eat their own words. I have no doubt about that.”
SESSP President, Emeka Ugwu-Oju, pledged the support of the group for Oyegun “whose integrity and hard work steered [the APC] to victory” within one year of him becoming its Chairman.
He urged the government led by the APC to implement the recommendations of the national conference held last year.
Tibunu scared of Lasun
It was learnt that Tinubu feels slighted that Lasun emerged Deputy Speaker against his wish.
Lasun is from Osun, the same state as Governor Rauf Aregbesola, who is Tinubu’s protege.
Tinubu had endorsed Femi Gbajabiamila for Speaker and Mohammed Mungono as his Deputy.
With Tinubu’s firm grip on South West politics, it was safe to assume that no member of the APC in the zone would go against his decision.
But Lasun did. And that jolted Tinubu, especially as Lasun, by virtue of his position, becomes the number sixth citizen, making him the second most powerful politician in the South West after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
With Lasun’s emergence, APC sources said Tinubu’s wall in the South West politics has cracked.
“Lasun has other supporters in the South West,” a source maintained.
“And with Lasun’s influence and power, Tinubu fears that the man would win more supporters from the South West to his side. That is why he wants him to resign.”
Saraki helmed in by sponsors
Our source also disclosed that Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is held hostage by a few senators who had anointed him even before the inauguration of the eighth Senate.
The Senators include Ahmad Sani and Danjuma Goje, he alleged.
“Immediately after the presidential and National Assembly elections were concluded, these senators pressed on with the project of anointing those they would make principal officers in the eighth Senate.
“They approached a number of senators-elect then but ended up with Saraki whom they are now holding hostage. That is the major reason for this crisis today.”
According to the source, both Sani and Goje had started shopping for Senate president even before the general election.
Pledges support for executive
The abrupt adjournment of the NASS until July 21 may affect the running of government as the Senate has to screen Buhari’s ministerial nominees.
But Saraki repeated assurances on Tuesday, June 30 that there would be no delay in the confirmation of ministerial nominees once the list is sent in.
He spoke while receiving the French Ambassador to Nigeria, Denys Gaver, who visited his office in Abuja.
Saraki stressed that “we are working and we are ready to reconvene at any time to attend to any national assignment, including the confirmation of President Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial nominees.”
He pledged the cooperation of the NASS with the executive in accomplishing the programmes of the administration, saying bills from the Villa would be treated with dispatch, as part of efforts to support Buhari to effect positive change.
Saraki reiterated that the Senate has set up an 18-man committee to formulate a legislative agenda to address poverty, law enforcement, security, commercial disputes, corruption, investment in the petroleum sector, and other issues.
He said the NASS will partner with the French Parliament on capacity building for legislators, bilateral relations between the two countries, and more French investment in Nigeria.
He solicited the co-operation of Paris in tackling insecurity in Nigeria’s North East, particularly as the country shares borders with Francophone neighbours.