“Saraki Is Being Hounded, Persecuted By APC, Buhari”

Editor’s note: Olukayode Thomas, a two-time African journalist of the year according to CNN, says Senate president Bukola Saraki is being witch-hunted.

Buhari lacks political skills?

The actions and body language of President Muhammudu Buhari since he assumed office on May 29, 2015, seem to confirm former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s postulation about him shortly after he was sworn in. Atiku told reporters then that Buhari is a good leader but “may not be a politician”.

While being a good leader is good, combining good leadership with good political skills make a better leader. Buhari, no doubt, is high on integrity, but he has shown in the last few weeks that he needs aides who are well versed in the art and science of political wisdom which is needed to govern a diverse nation like Nigeria to succeed.

Buhari’s lack of political skills have resulted in the mismanagement of many sensitive national issues, unguarded statements which have led to avoidable criticisms, and the heating up of the polity on an issue he could easily have resolved through a phone call.

PDP senators plan to block Buhari’s ministers?

In the last few days, those with ears to the political ground, especially in Abuja, are aware of the news making the rounds that senators from the PDP states are planning to block the clearance of ministerial nominees from their states when the president submits his list at the end of the month.

At least two senators, out of three from a particular state, must back a ministerial nominee before his appointment can be confirmed.

If two or three senators from a particular state reject a nominee, the Senate will have to turn him or her down, and only the president of the Senate can overrule them, like it happened in the case of Musiliu Obanikoro. When the senators from Lagos rejected Obanikoro‘s nomination, the then Senate president, David Mark, used his veto power to overrule them.

There were also insinuations that Saraki, because a majority of PDP senators voted for him to become the Senate president may likely not use his veto power to overrule the senators from PDP states, should they decline to support the president’s ministerial nominees.

The gulf between Buhari and Saraki

Whether this is true or is just a rumour being spread by rabble-rousers to widen the gulf between Buhari and Saraki is still unclear.
But in a situation like the above, a politically suave president and leaders of the APC would call Saraki and brief him on the importance of getting the president’s nominees approved without embarrassment to either the president or the party; and I doubt if he will do otherwise.

But beneficiaries of the current crisis within the party, especially those with the view that Saraki’s presidency of the Senate is a threat to their ambition to rule the country in 2019, in case Buhari does not seek a second term and 2023, and if he does, believe getting Saraki arrested and locked up is the best solution.

They drag him before the Code of Conduct Bureau for failing to declare some assets he acquired while in office as governor and operating foreign accounts.

Saraki who faced about five or six similar charges since he became the Senate president, including one against his wife dismissed the charges as “false and frivolous”.

He maintained that he has consistently declared his assets as required by law at every point before resuming any political office and that of 2015 is not an exception.

The inconsistencies in Saraki’s assets declaration

While the prosecution of the number three man in the land on any charge at all is good for the society, as it will send a clear signal that the government of the day will not tolerate corruption and the culture of impunity which is killing the country, yet the way he is being hounded and persecuted is sending a wrong signal that this government has no respect for the rule of law. Let facts speak. The Code of Conduct Bureau edict stipulates that once assets are declared, they must be investigated, verified and ascertained immediately.

Saraki, as governor of Kwara state, declared his assets in 2003, CCB did not raise an objection then; he repeated the exercise in 2007 when he was re-elected and 2011 as well, there was no complaint; and recently when he was re-elected Senator, he also declared his assets. The CCB has not even queried his latest declaration, so why go way back to 2003, many years after it was supposed to have queried it?

Why was Saraki not notified of the inconsistencies in his assets declaration forms before charging him to court as stipulated by law?

A few months ago, the APC leaders were defending Saraki against these allegations that they are using to hound him today when former President Goodluck Jonathan levied the same allegations against him. By trying Saraki for allegations they defended a few months ago, they are telling us they are not credible and should not be believed.
Saraki’s supporters claim that he is being hounded and persecuted is further given credence by the fact that only Saraki has been singled out for prosecution on about five different occasions since Buhari became president.

Buhari must not pretend that he is unaware of these shenanigans. He must put his foot down and urge all parties to obey the rule of law. Anything short will mean his endorsement of Saraki’s persecution by some APC leaders for becoming Senate president when he said it repeatedly that he will not interfere in who became the Senate president.

As an honourable man, Buhari’s word should be his bond.

Read the rest at Premium Times.

The views expressed in this article are author’s own and do not necessarily represent the editorial policy of Naij.com.

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