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  • APC set for frank talks as Buhari, Saraki, Dogara, others meet today

    APC set for frank talks as Buhari, Saraki, Dogara, others meet today

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) vowed yesterday to emerge strong from its first National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting after its post-election crisis.

    The crisis, which has split the party’s leaders, erupted after the June 9 election of principal officers at the National Assembly.

    Senate President Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara emerged against the party’s wish.

    The party endorsed Senator Ahmed Lawan for Senate and Femi Gbajabiamila for Speaker.

    “We are set for the meeting which will address some issues. We are expecting the President, our governors and leaders in the National Assembly. The NEC will properly constitute the Board of Trustees (BOT) of APC because we want all our organs to function effectively.

    “We are in the process of reconciliation; we will definitely put our house in order and emerge stronger,” National Secretary Mai Buni said yesterday, adding:

    “Politics is sometimes like that. You know our party is the first story of a successful merger of major parties in the country; we were also the first opposition party to dislodge a sitting government; and this is the first time an opposition party is having majority in the National Assembly. You should expect some teething problems but we will reconcile and reunite all.”

    Buni said one of the key parts of the agenda is on “ensuring that everybody respects the party.”

    There was anxiety last night that the meeting could make or break the APC in view of the “volatile nature” of the agenda.

    The warring groups in the National Assembly engaged in marathon consultations and intensified the lobbying of NEC members.

    Ex-Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, however, set the tone for the meeting by pleading with APC leaders to “shift ground and move to the centre”.

    He said the blame game targeted at individuals was an unnecessary diversion of energies at the expense of the urgency of the mission of the party.

    Those expected at the session are President Muhammadu Buhari, all APC governors, Senate President  Bukola Saraki, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Yakubu Dogara, members of the National Working Committee and some principal officers. It will be the first meeting in which the Presidency will be present with Saraki and Dogara in attendance.

    On the agenda are the journey so far by the Buhari administration, the crisis in the National Assembly and the way out; the constitution of the party’s Board of Trustees; and how to enhance party supremacy in managing challenges.

    A source in the party said the session would be devoted to “frank talks” on the crisis in the National Assembly over the election of Saraki, Dogara and some principal officers.

    The source said National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun will make a detailed presentation on the crisis in the National Assembly, the extent of intervention by the party, mediation by President Buhari and the way out of the logjam.

    The source said: “We are set for a NEC session of frank talks because the crisis in the National Assembly has overshadowed our mission for the nation. We promised change and Nigerians are becoming weary with what is happening.

    “Our governors and leaders are really disturbed about the trend of things. Now, we have a golden opportunity to tell ourselves the home truths and resolve the impasse. We are hopeful that we will reconcile and reunite at the end of the day.”

  • Saraki condemns renewed Boko Haram attacks

    Saraki condemns renewed Boko Haram attacks

    Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki yesterday condemned what he described as renewed onslaught against innocent Nigerians by the Boko Haram during the holy month of Ramadan.

    Saraki also expressed pain on the death of six school children in Lagos following a boat mishap that involved 14 school children, who were being conveyed across Ojo to Irewe jetty.

    A statement by Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the Senate President, Yusuph Olaniyonu, quoted Saraki as saying that the military authorities would do everything necessary to prevent the unwarranted attacks by Boko Haram from escalating.

    The Senate President hailed efforts by President Muhammadu Buhari to ensure that Nigerians are safe and secured, especially in the Northeast.

    The statement said Saraki was particularly unhappy  that the insurgents could let loose their suicide squad on a day Vice President Yemi Osinbajo was in Maiduguri on behalf of the Federal Government for an on-the-spot-assessment of the situation of the internally displaced persons.

    Saraki said: “Boko Haram is not invincible and I have no doubt that the present administration led by President Muhammadu Buhari possesses the requisite political will and determination to decisively fight the insurgents and restore security to affected areas.”

    The Senate President lauded “the military for their bravery so far, but noted that Nigerians are eager to see a quick end to these needless carnage and bloodletting.”

    On the tragic loss of six young lads after a boat that was travelling from Ojo to Irewe reportedly capsized in Lagos, Saraki said: “This incident, which is one too many, is another wake up call for officials charged with the regulation of water transportation across the country to rev up their prevention strategies and emergency preparedness level so as to avoid future occurrence and prompt rescue of victims”.

    He commiserated with the families of victims and prayed God to grant repose to the soul of Nigerians whose lives were cut short by both the Maiduguri suicide bombing and the boat mishap in Lagos.

  • Saraki, Dogara urged to cooperate with APC leadership

    Saraki, Dogara urged to cooperate with APC leadership

    The Network of Civil Society Organizations have called on the leadership of the National Assembly under Senator Bukola Saraki, the Senate President and Honourable Yakubu Dogara, the Speaker of the House of Representatives to cooperate with the leaders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and respect the supremacy of the party.

    In a statement issued in Abuja by Mr. Lawal Bamidele, the National Publicity Secretary of the CSO, the group passed a vote of confidence on Chief. John Oyegun, Chairman of the APC amidst calls for his resignation as the party National Chairman.

    “We call on the entire party leadership to give the National Working Committee (NWC) members of the party the needed support and synergy which they so much needed for greater performance in formulating better administrative initiatives.

    “We adjure the National Assembly under the leadership of His Excellency Sen. Bukola Saraki for the Senate and Hon. Yakubu Dogara for the House of Representatives to corporate with the Party leadership and respect the supremacy of the party above personal interest.

    “It is rather unfortunate and distractive that certain individuals are calling for the resignation of the National Chairman at this time when he has barely led the party to accomplish unprecedented fit of defeating a seating President – a fit which rather demands commendation as against condemnation.

    “APC as a party that preaches change, should not be seen to be re-enacting the usual People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s syndrome of use and dump,” he said.

  • Hearing in Saraki’s suit stalled

    Hearing in Saraki’s suit stalled

    The National Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital, could not begin hearing yesterday in a case challenging the election of Dr. Bukola Saraki as the senator representing Kwara Central.

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, is challenging the victory of Saraki of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the March 28 election.

    The petitioner’s counsel, Prof. Rasheed Ijaodola, accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of not giving them access to the information contained in the card reader.

    He said until they had access to the data, the hearing could not continue.

    Prof. Ijaodola requested for adjournment to enable them complete the inspection of materials used for the poll.

    The three-man panel led by Justice Josiah Mejabi gave the petitioners leave to inspect the materials and hearing in the case was scheduled for yesterday.

    He said: “If we don’t know the fact on the computer, our petition cannot be properly established. We need to compare the figure from the card reader with the certified true copy of the result given to us. The two have to be compared.

    “As petitioner’s counsel continued with his argument, a letter was presented to the tribunal by INEC, saying the commission had given the petitioners necessary cooperation in the inspection of the materials.”

    Justice Majebi granted the request for adjournment with a condition that the petitioners would lose one day from the six days given to them to open their case.

  • Saraki the innocent

    It took the controversially-elected Senate President Bukola Saraki 18 days to reconstruct the story of his emergence from his own point of view. And when on June 27 he personally narrated to journalists how the whole thing happened on June 9, his tale stretched the imagination.

    He said: “I can tell you today that I was in the National Assembly Complex as early as 6:00 in the morning and I stayed in a car in the park from 6:00 in the morning till quarter to 10:00am…All I was monitoring was how people were arriving at the complex. It was at quarter to 10:00 that I got information that the Clerk to the National Assembly had entered the Chamber.”

    Saraki continued: “So I got out of the small car I was inside, stretched myself and put on my babariga because I didn’t have it on before then. I walked from the car park into the chamber.”

    His moment-by-moment narration conveniently left out interesting details. For instance, just out of curiosity: how small was “the small car”? Saraki sounded like he hoped to make a point by introducing the adjective “small.” It sounded like a case of “hypocritical humility.”

    The highpoint of his pointlessness came when he said: “Before I knew it, my election had come and gone.” In other words, it all happened in a flash – did he mean like flash fiction?  But, evidently and evidentially, not as quickly and suddenly as to suggest that Saraki was unprepared, or that the direction of the drama was unanticipated, or even that the event was unplotted.

    The eventual cementing of a strange and strangulating leadership combination at the helm of the country’s upper legislative house is a source of wonder, just as Saraki’s post-event crocodile tears are unbelievable. He was quoted as saying: “It is unfortunate that we have a PDP man as Deputy Senate President. It is painful. It is painful for any APC member because we went through the struggle. That was not what we signed for.” Saraki added: “But it has happened; but it is unfortunate and it is not fair to put the blame on one side because it is a combination of errors and miscalculations that led us to have what we have.”

    His developing denial of party supremacy, manifested in his own defiant pursuit of position and his subsequent downgrading of the party’s choices, may well be at the heart of the self-identified “errors and miscalculations.”  But Saraki seems too self-absorbed to appreciate the fundamental nature of his own miscalculation error.

    It would appear that Saraki’s meet-the-media session had a redeeming feature, though. Perhaps unwittingly, he said: “I want my action to speak more than what I say.”  Saraki must be familiar with the idiom “Actions speak louder than words.” So far, his actions have said so much about the worthlessness of his words.

  • Saraki, Dogara deny link with oil barons

    Saraki, Dogara deny link with oil barons

    Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara yesterday denied any link with discredited oil barons.

    Saraki, in a statement by his Special Assistant on Print Media, Chuks Okocha, said it was false and a calculated mischief to suggest that his emergence as Senate President was facilitated by oil barons.

    He described the allegation as a case of calling a dog a bad name to hang it.

    The Senate President added that since he was elected unopposed on June 9, the claim that he was sponsored by oil barons cannot hold.

    Saraki had earlier made the same denial when the story first broke.

    The statement reads in part: “One of such desperate attempts to justify this blackmail and others was the story published in newspapers of Monday June 29, as contained in a statement issued by the former Interim National Chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande.

    “Ordinarily, we would have ignored the report, but for the sole reason that some undiscerning readers might mistake the fiction for the facts.

    “We also wish to state unequivocally that it was wrong and mischievous for the statement by Chief Akande to link what happened on the floor of both chambers to some unnamed oil barons.

    “We dare say that the entire story was the figment of the imagination of the author.

    “We make bold to state that in the 7th Assembly, Senator Bukola Saraki was Chairman of the Senate Ad hoc Committee, which exposed the fraud and mismanagement in the oil sector.

    “Until Saraki’s motion on the floor of the Senate, no one was in the picture of the rot in the sector or took any action.

    “Therefore, surely, Senator Saraki will be the last person the oil baron will want to see as Senate President.”

    Dogara, who also described the allegation as baseless and lacking in substance, called on Nigerians to disregard them.

    A statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Public Affairs, Turaki Adamu Hassan, described Akande’s allegation as “unfortunate and uncharitable”.

    The statement said Dogara’s “antecedence, capacity, experience, being a team player, incorruptibility and his progressive mind and activities are the qualities that endeared him to his colleagues”.

    It added: “We challenge Chief Akande to name the so-called oil barons whom he alleged sponsored the election of the Speaker.

    “In case Chief Akande does not know, the first investigative motion adopted by the 8th House of Representatives under the leadership of the Rt. Hon. Speaker was to investigate the allegation of fraud in the oil-swap contract awarded by the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC).

    “A resolution instituting investigation into the allegation was passed with a resolve to constitute an ad-hoc committee to investigate the NNPC, as well as its subsidiary, Pipelines and Products Marketing Company, over the swap contracts. How then can the House under the leadership of Mr. Speaker order investigation into activities of those who allegedly sponsored his election?”

  • Name your alleged abductors, Marafa urges Saraki

    Spokesperson of the Senate Unity Forum, Senator Kabiru Marafa, yesterday challenged the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, to name those he claimed planned to abduct him on June 9 before his emergence as Senate President.

    Senator Marafa, who represents Zamfara Central, in a text message to reporters in  Abuja, said Saraki should be prevailed upon to name those who wanted to abduct him as a plot to prevent him from entering the National Assembly Complex on June 9.

    Saraki had at an interview with reporters at the weekend claimed that before the inauguration of the Eighth Senate on Tuesday, June 9, 2015, there were plans by unnamed persons to abduct him as a way of preventing him from attending the inauguration and personally accepting his nomination as Senate President.

    The Senate President said he arrived at the National Assembly Complex as early as 6am and hid incommunicado at the car park for over four hours.

    Saraki said he only went to the Senate chamber around 10am when he was told that the clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa, was already in the chamber for the inauguration of the Eighth Senate.

    But, Marafa, who was one of the Senators opposed to Saraki’s emergence as Senate President said Nigerians should ask Saraki to name those who attempted to abduct him.

    Marafa asked, “Who wanted to abduct him and why.”

    The Zamfara lawmaker said he would react fully to the allegation when the names of the alleged abductors are disclosed.

     

  • Saraki, Dogara: What should APC do?

    Saraki, Dogara: What should APC do?

    The crisis that trailed the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dagora as the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively, against the position of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to plague the ruling party as the NASS leaders also rebelled against the party leadership on their choice of other National Assembly leaders. In this report, Sam Egburonu, Associate Editor, Dare Odufowokan, Assistant Editor, Sunday Oguntola in Lagos, Abdulgafar Alabelewe in Kaduna; Kolade Adeyemi in Kano; report on the options available to APC and the implications on the polity and the party

    Since the inauguration of the 8th National Assembly and the election of the leadership of both the Senate and the House of Representatives, where Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara emerged Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives respectively against the position of their party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party, which won the presidential and National Assembly elections has been thrown into crisis. The matter escalated this week when Saraki and Dogara also refused to listen to the advice of the party leadership on who should occupy the party leadership positions in both chambers.

    While Saraki-led Senate dumped the list of candidates for Senate Majority Leader, Deputy Leader, Chief Whip and Deputy Chief Whip and successfully elected different candidates for the positions in defiance of the party, Dogara’s attempt to do the same at the Green Chamber ended in a stalemate as the House went on a long recess after a free for all fracas.

    Reacting to this development, concerned supporters of APC and some of its leaders have called on the party to do something fast to regain authority and save the polity.

     

    ‘My hands were tied’

    Explaining why he did what he did, Senate President, Bukola Saraki on Thursday, June 25, 2015, wrote a letter to the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), John Oyegun, explaining that he went against the party’s wishes in the appointment of Senate leaders because his hands were tied.

    It would be recalled that before the election of the Senate Majority Leader and the other leaders of the Red Chamber, APC National Chairman, Oyegun had written a formal letter to Saraki, telling him to choose Senator Ahmed Lawan as Majority Leader, amongst other nominations made by the leadership of APC. But when it was time to elect the leaders, the Senate President nominated Senator Ali Ndume instead; an action APC leaders described as the height of rebellion and disrespect for the party’s supremacy.

    So, in the letter, which he signed personally, the Senate President explained that the APC’s letter on who to nominate came after the zonal caucuses had chosen their candidates in line with parliamentary convention.

    Saraki further said that he would have liked to please the party but his hands were tied.

    He also assured the APC of his continuing loyalty in the letter which was addressed to National Chairman, John Oyegun.

    Also, explaining the reasons behind the fisticuffs on the floors of the House before the House went on recess, Hon. Nasiru Sani Zangon Daura  of the All Progressive Congress (APC), representing Zango/Baure Federal Constituency of Katsina State, said “The action that occurred inside the chamber of the House of Representatives was in reaction to the illegal and unconstitutional action taken by Speaker Yakubu Dogara of the House of Representatives, an action in his usual tradition of total disregard to the wishes of the majority members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Caucus, the Party itself and the spirit of the Party.

    “We are aware of a letter sent by our Party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) dated 23rd June 2015 conveying the approval of the Party’s Principal Officers vis-a-vis the APC House Leader, the APC Chief Whip, the APC Deputy House Leader and the APC Deputy Chief Whip for the House of Representatives.

    This letter by the Party is in compliance with the expressed wish and mandate of the Majority Members of the All Progressives Congress APC Caucus in the House of Representatives.

    This action of the Party and the APC House Caucus is in compliance with the Nigerian Constitution, the House Rules and Parliamentary tradition, practices and precedents in Nigeria and all over the World.

    But to our surprise and in breach of our privilege and rights as contained in the Constitution and extant House Rules, Mr. Speaker refused to read the letter from our party.

    The Speaker and Deputy Speaker are not Party Principal Officers but are House of Representatives Presiding Officers and by precedent and practice are expected to provide a level playing ground for all members, while the Party Principal Officers are supposed to be the main advocates for their individual party positions.

    The Speaker and the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives are elected by all members of the House of Representatives irrespective of party affiliation and it is also possible under our extant rules for a Speaker and his Deputy to be elected from a minority/opposition party in the National Assembly.

    Therefore, Speaker Yakubu Dogara of the House of Representatives cannot under extant Laws and House Rules Appoint, Choose, Select, Dictate or even provide guidance on how Party Principal Officers emerge or are elected or selected. That responsibility and authority lies with each Party and Party’s Caucus members in the House,” he told the press during the week.

    While every concerned observer said APC must do something fast to save the situation, the right option left for the party is not generally agreed upon.

     

    Options open for APC

    Tambuwal option:

    Some Nigerians, especially APC supporters, worried by the current war of words amongst APC members over the development, are of the view that the party can adopt what they described as ‘Tambuwal option.’ Taken from how the Peoples Democratic Party reacted when Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, a PDP lawmaker from Sokoto State, aligned with the opposition to emerge the Speaker of the House of Representatives against his party’s decision, the option implies turning a blind eye. That is, avoiding the temptation of sanctioning the offender in order to stall further confrontations that may hurt the party. It would be recalled that when former Speaker of the House of Representatives emerged against the decision of the then ruling party, PDP practically turned blind eye and so he served as PDP Speaker with the firm support of the opposition until the tail end of his tenure, when he formally declared for the then opposition party, the APC.

    Not all APC sympathizers are willing to accept this option. Those who are opposed to it say in PDP’s case, Tambuwal did what Saraki and Dogara are not doing today. According to them, after Tambuwal emerged speaker through his alliance with the opposition, he did not openly disregard the positions of his party leadership. He accepted Hon. Mulikat Akande-Adeola as the Majority Leader of the House as advised by the PDP leadership then. He not only made every move to appease PDP leadership but also accepted practically every other fence mending requests they made after his emergence. Saraki on the other hand ignored all the requests of the APC leadership, including the letter written by the APC National Chairman, Oyegun, bearing the list of the candidates nominated by the party leadership for the remaining Senate leadership.

    Implication:

    From the views of many of our respondents, there is the fear that if APC adopts the Tambuwal option in the current circumstances, it will open room for other rebellion, a development that will ultimately lead the party to lose authority. “This option should not be considered because it will lead to a situation where party directives will no longer be binding on anybody. In that case, anybody can just do the same thing that Saraki and Dogara are doing,” most of the respondents said.

    Sanction

    Most Nigerians opposed to Tambuwal option in this matter are insisting that the party must enforce discipline. They insist that the only credible option is for the party to act fast to enforce party supremacy which has been defied twice both by Saraki in the Senate and Dagora in the House of Representatives. “This rebellion against the party has resulted in a situation where PDP is now in control of the two chambers of the National Assembly in spite of the fact that APC has majority in the two chambers. We cannot close our eyes to the damage already done to our party and the more disastrous implications in the future if we keep quiet now. We must sanction these people no matter the implications.

    Our investigation shows that those advocating sanction do not however agree on the kind of sanction that should be prescribed against them. So far, informed observers said the party can either suspend or expel Saraki and Dogara. A few others said the sanction need not necessarily include their supporters at the National Assembly. This suggests that Saraki and Dogara may also be isolated and disciplined. However such sanction is applied, it is agreed that it will have varied implications.

    Implications

    Our investigation confirms that most political leaders in the country agree that suspension or expulsion of the two NASS leaders may result to serious crisis for the party and the polity as it may result to the possibility of defection of the principal parties. “If Saraki and Dogara are suspended, they may decide to defect to the opposition PDP and no matter how you may try to manage the resultant crisis, the party and the polity cannot be better for it,” said a source.

    Not every respondent agreed that in event of sanction, Saraki and Dogara will automatically leave APC. Some informed observers say they may think twice before defecting because of the ruling on the Ondo State House of Assembly matter, which may imply their losing their plum seats.

    Also, there are some observers that said Saraki, if suspended for some time may decide to remain like that and work as Senate President.

    Informed observers however warned that for APC, suspension or expulsion of the offending NASS leaders implies that the Muhammadu Buhari-led federal executive would be dealing with a hostile and unstable NASS. “This is not what we voted for,” said an APC member in Lagos.

     

    Isolation

    Some top politicians who do not want to be named however said another option that may be considered is Isolation. “Another option open for APC-led federal government is to isolate the Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives. This implies either isolating them for sanction without touching their supporters at the national Assembly, or Mr. President not depending on them in the running of his government,” explained one of such respondents who added that “it is important these two party men are disciplined.

  • I’ve no deal with PDP, Ekweremadu, says Saraki

    I’ve no deal with PDP, Ekweremadu, says Saraki

    •Promises reconciliation with aggrieved senators, party leaders 

    Senate President Bukola Saraki  claimed yesterday that he had nothing to do with the re-emergence of Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President at the June 9 controversial election at the Upper Chamber.

    Saraki, whose choice as Senate President went against the wish of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), also denied receiving any message to attend a party meeting at the International Conference Centre (ICC) on the day.

    He spoke at his maiden press conference in Abuja as Senate President.

    He said that contrary to the insinuation in many quarters, he had no deal with Ekweremadu or the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Ekweremadu becoming deputy senate president.

    All he did, according to him, was to reach out to all Senators to support his (Saraki’s) bid to head the Senate.

    His words: “On the morning of the inauguration, I didn’t finish meeting until 4:00 of that day and I had got information that efforts would likely be made to make sure that I didn’t get access into the chambers.

    “So, as early as 4:00am and 5:00am, I had made contingency plans that I must get into the National Assembly because the plan before was that Senators-elect should go to the Transcorp Hilton Hotel around 8:00clock and 9:00am to proceed to the National Assembly.

    “But I was advised that it would not be safe or secure for me to do that because some people made sure that if I didn’t get into the chambers, it would not be possible for me to be nominated for the nomination to be seconded and for me to accept the nomination.

    “I can tell you today that I was in the National Assembly Complex as early as 6:00 in the morning and I stayed in a car in the park from 6:00 in the morning till quarter to 10:00am.

    “This is the truth. I stayed there and I was there with no communication whatsoever.

    “So, anybody who said they spoke to me to go to the ICC, that is not true because I didn’t even know what was going on. All I was monitoring was how people were arriving at the complex.

    “It was at quarter to 10:00 that I got information that the Clerk to the National Assembly had entered the chamber.

    “So, I got out of the small car I was inside, stretched myself and put on my babariga because I didn’t have it on before then.

    “I walked from the car park into the chamber. That was why some of you would have seen that I looked very tired on that morning.

    “Even when I was in the chamber, I didn’t know what had transpired earlier on.

    “The only thing I observed was that it appeared that some of our Senators were not in the chamber and the fact that my colleagues arrived in batches, I had the opinion that they were on their way and by 10:00am, the programme started.

    “Before I knew it, my election had come and gone. Even my people were worried. It was only when I got into the chamber that they were relieved.”

    On the alleged pact between him and PDP Senators to vote for him and then choose Ekwermadu as Deputy President of the Senate, Saraki said there was no such deal.

    He blamed the re-election of  Ekweremadu to the position on the absence from the Senate chamber of greater majority of APC Senators.

    “Never in our wildest imagination did we envisage that some Senators would not be present on the day of the inauguration,” he said.

    “In my own view, and in the view of some of those who worked closely with me, I worked hard for my election.

    “I had direct contact with every single Senator, one on one; weeks leading to the election. I did not rely on anybody. I worked hard both in our party, the APC, and out of it.

    “I approached every Senator, I talked to them…we built confidence, not only in the APC, but also, in the PDP. I talked to them.

    “That was why I laugh when people said I had a deal with Ekweremadu or I had a hand in the emergence of Ekweremadu.

    “I didn’t need any deal to win. I had penetrated…There was no deal; I didn’t need any deal in the first place.

    “I had worked hard such that everybody who was a Senator, I campaigned hard and canvassed for their votes and won their confidence.

    “One of the meetings held at Transcorp Hilton, which Senator Godswill Akpabio co-chaired with Senator Ibrahim Gobir and a few others had both APC and PDP members in attendance.

    “At that meeting, if you heard most of them there, the position they took was that ‘this is the Senate President they want.’

    “Across party lines, they believe in me and that this is the Senate President that can lead us…there was no deal.

    “Sometimes, I wonder how some of our colleagues found themselves at the ICC. If it had been a case of the Clerk of the National Assembly making an announcement that the event had been postponed or it was no longer holding… There was no invitation. I’m sure some are asking now: what really happened?”

    Saraki also said that long before the June 9 election PDP Senators had made it clear that they would support him “without even meeting me because in their own meeting, majority had decided to vote for me.”

    He added: “In their own interest, strategically, they decided that, look this is a fait accompli because 30 of their own Senators were going to vote for this man anyway and the remaining felt it was better to join.

    “It wasn’t until 2:00am that they called us to tell us about their decision.

    “With regards to the deputy, when they told us that they had a candidate, we, too, told them we had a candidate for Deputy Senate President in the person of Senator Ali Ndume.

    “After our own meeting, it was our thinking that it was after the election of the Senate President that the two groups in APC would meet and we would agree on a candidate.

    “We never in our imagination thought they would not turn up. By the time we got there, we were only 24 while the PDP Senators were more than 40.

    “In an election, there is no way they would not have defeated us and that was what happened?

    “Now, when people say it was a deal, I say that if the Clerk to the National Assembly had started the procedure in the House of Representatives first and moved to the Senate thereafter, today, we, the APC, would have had the  deputy Senate President.

    “It is unfortunate that we have a PDP man as Deputy Senate President. It is painful. It is painful for any APC member because we went through the struggle. That was not what we signed for.

    “But it has happened; but it is unfortunate and it is not fair to put the blame on one side because it is a combination of errors and miscalculations that led us to have what we have.

    “So, to suggest that it was out of a desperate act to emerge is what I reject completely and those who followed the events would know that I didn’t have that deal to emerge.”

    Asked about his relationship with the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu he said: “he is one of the leaders of the party. We have great respect for him. Myself and him, we have worked very closely together on major issues in this party leading to this issue that were very important at different stages in the development of our party.

    “In this matter, as much as I wanted to win his support, unfortunately I didn’t happen. It happens like that.

    “I think at the end of the day we will look at the things we have done together that have gone well, many before now: three, four major issues.

    “One is a setback but I don’t think that that in any way should be what should dictate the kind of relationship that we have. I believe that we are both responsible and committed to the project of the party and idea that we would overcome this and move forward.

    “That’s our intention as part of the healing process too to be able to do that and it will happen.”

    On the process of healing in the Senate, he said “The process of healing is going on. It is just two weeks after the election. It is normal after an election like this, for this kind of position that was fiercely contested, there will be sentiments, there will be emotions.

    “If you can remember after the presidential primaries, for weeks there were huge sentiments and emotions. There are some people today who are now pretending that they love President Buhari more than us. They didn’t attend rallies, they sat in their houses. We were begging them.

    “What I’m saying is that two weeks for me is short in a healing process. We need to give some time. Two weeks is too short.

    “What I can assure you as somebody who has taken this position I will not stop until I see there is a full healing process, full reconciliation. Those that know me know that I’m a fair minded person. I will be fair to everybody because everybody too has contributed for us to get here.

    “Things have happened unfortunately, it cannot be a winner takes all; everybody must be part of that process. We will get there. During this period of recess, by the time we come back, I believe that we will be able pretty much to get together as united APC family.

    “I want my action to speak more than what I say. Let’s come in one month’s time. I’m confident that this will be a thing of the past. The issues before us when we were elected are greater than this.”

    Saraki also said that the talk about 2019 presidential election makes him sad.

    He said: “On 2019 aspiration, I hear a lot about this 2019 and honestly I feel very sad. I’m very, very sad that people are talking about 2019.”

     

  • I had no deal with Ekweremadu, says Saraki

    I had no deal with Ekweremadu, says Saraki

    Senate President Bukola Saraki has said he had nothing to do with the re-emergence of Chief Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President at the June 9 controversial election in the Senate.

    Saraki whose choice as Senate President went against the wish of his party,All Progressives Congress (APC), on Saturday also denied receiving any message to attend a party meeting at the International Conference Center (ICC) on the day.
    He spoke at his maiden press conference in Abuja as Senate President.
    He said that contrary to the insinuation in many quarters ,he had no deal with Ekweremadu or the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Ekweremadu becoming deputy senate president.
    All he did,according to him, was to reach out to all Senators to support his (Saraki’s) bid to head the Senate.