‘ There was conspiracy against Tinubu by some APC
leaders ’
A KEY member of the All Progressives Congress ( APC )
has seen danger in Senate President Bukola Saraki’ s
alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) .
It is dangerous for President Muhammadu Buhari ,
Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso said yesterday.
In his view , the political romance will create inhibitions
for the Buhari administration .
Dr . Saraki was elected Senate President on June 9
after he rejected the APC ’s choice , Ahmed Lawan and
struck a deal with the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) .
The pact produced Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate
President.
To Kwankwaso, this happened because the APC
leadership missed some vital steps and gave ample
opportunity to Saraki’ s group, which used it effectively .
He described Ekweremadu ’ s election as “ unacceptable ”
to APC .
Ekweremadu has linked his election to the integration
of the Southeast, but to the former Kano State
Governor , that is “ sheer rubbish . ”
Kwankwaso in an interview in Abuja, said : “ To the best
of my knowledge, the Saraki group is yet to reach out
to the Unity Forum of Senator Ahmed Lawan and
Senator George Akume. ”
He said although APC was divided, it is not too late to
correct things .
Kwankwaso said Saraki became the President of the
Senate because of some factors including conspiracy
against Asiwaju Bola Tinubu , the failure of the APC
leadership to act on time, the plot by G -5/G -7 members
who were interested in seeing one of them occupy a
position ; and some groups who believed that Saraki
had given them so many things and it was pay-back
time.
Kwankwaso said : “ On the issue of what went wrong , I
think there were so many things having to do with
time. This election had to do with time. We had so
many weeks before the election to address this issue .
This is not the time to say I told you or I told them, but
many of us tried to tell our leaders to do the right
thing at the right time.
“ I think the party missed the crucial opportunity to
address this challenge . I think time was crucial of
which the party missed some important steps and
therefore things went wrong . I told you the party
missed some vital steps and gave an ample opportunity
to Bukola Saraki’ s group and they used it effectively
and took all the advantages that had to do with the
mistakes of our leaders . ”
Kwankwaso said some forces in APC also contributed
to the “ sad” development in the Senate , especially
those who conspired against Tinubu .
His words: “ I am aware that members of the G- 5/G- 7
group were interested in seeing one of us occupying
one of the strategic positions. I am also aware that
there are some people in the party who believed
Tinubu had taken so many things and it was time to
take a break . They had a perception that Tinubu was
trying to take it all . There are other groups that
believed that Saraki had given them so many things
and they had to pay him back. Many senators believed
that they were supported by Saraki. ”
Kwankwaso raised the alarm that the PDP will use the
opportunity of the alliance with Saraki to create hurdles
for Buhari .
He said : “ You see, first of all , the President will face a
lot of irritations in the sense that these people must be
very angry with themselves , they must be very angry
with Nigerians and , therefore, will do everything
possible to put all sorts of hurdles on the way of Mr.
President. That is obvious .
“ I can always read their mind . I was one of them, I was
part of them, I was part of the party but we had to
leave the party because of this attitude. So , in some of
the books that I read, especially Islamic books , there
are things that we call Sadaqatuljariya ( doing charitable
deeds like building schools , hospital , throughout your
life ) and you will be getting reward and even after you
die.
“ These sorts of mistakes are what we call
Musibatuljariya. It is so bad and it is a bad thing that
will continue to occur until the system goes to end
because they have their own agenda to tackle the
APC , to tackle the APC government, they are angry
with themselves , they are angry with the people and
Nigeria because they feel Nigeria belongs to them and
they wanted to take everything and Nigerians rejected
them. ”
On the feeling of President Buhari , he said there was
no way he would be a happy man with the development
in the Senate .
He said : “ I think the position of Buhari was that the
party should handle it . I don’ t think he wants to put his
fingers there . I am not sure his fingers are in it but
what I know is that I am not sure if he is happy that
members of our party could not be loyal to it . They
could not go by the dictates of the party . I am not sure
if Buhari is a happy man even though he did not put his
fingers but he was expecting that members of his party
will be loyal to the party .
“ I don ’t know his mindset, I have not seen him since
the election but I am sure that he cannot be a happy
man with his party, where he is the national leader, has
set up position and some members decided to go
against it to the extent of bringing people who should
not be in those positions . ”
The former governor was concerned that Saraki is neck
deep in the alliance with the PDP , adding that the
development might make reconciliation challenging .
He said : “ I believe the party is doing something that
will bring back the members together and have good
understanding but what complicated the whole
situation now is that more than 50 % of Saraki is in
PDP , if you take the condition of the position of the
Senate President . I don ’ t know which percentage he
will give and , therefore, it becomes more difficult .
“ And the implication of this now is that very soon, the
leadership of the Senate will start Tambuwalising the
party and, of course , the government as we have seen
in 2011 . ”
Saraki has said he will not return to the PDP .
Kwankwaso admitted that Saraki’ s election has divided
the party.
“ I think the party, unfortunately, is divided but it is not
too late to correct many things but the party should
take certain steps to ensure that such things will never
happen again in the party and I am one of those who
advised or tried to advise my brother , Saraki that he
should not go too far with that ambition under this
circumstance.
“ At this level and his level , people should be more
careful and cautious in what they do and what they
don’ t do and especially that the situation is even worst
than the case of Tambuwal during the House of
Representatives election of principal officers in 2011 .
“ Of course , Tambuwal ’s case was a case of going out
of zoning but all the positions went to members of the
party. But this time around, because of the ambition of
our members, I think they went and connived with
people who are not only opponents of the party but
enemies of the party to fight the party after the people
of this country have discarded these people .
“ And now because of ambition, these people were
made in a way relevant and I don ’ t think that is the
best way to go. Members of the party should have
certain limitations , they should know when to start and
when to stop and I think this is going too far in
romancing members of the PDP .
“ As far as we are concerned , PDP was dead until
recently when this ambition brought certain people to
do what they should not do in democracy and party
politics and how they are just about to create
unnecessary life for them to the extent that some of
them are servicing again and making all sorts of
statements. ”
Kwankwaso faulted Ekweremadu ’s election and his
assumption that the slot was meant to integrate the
Southeast.
He said : “ Just yesterday, I was reading, I don’ t know
whether it is true or not , that Ike Ekweremadu was
talking rubbish , nonsense . It is like they have reasons
to speak again and I think it is because of the
mistakes of our members . I believe that at the end of
the day, the party and members must get a way of
coming together and behave well, I think that is the
only way we can make progress . ”
“ I don’ t think I should be in a hurry to say that he
should resign but all I know is that many things have
gone wrong to the extent that the party has to put its
acts together to make sure that things that are done in
that way are stopped and from there , we will build the
party again.
“ It ( Deputy President of the Senate ) does not belong to
them. I have been in PDP from 1999 until 2014 or so .
You see, it was unthinkable in PDP for you to allow any
other party to take any of those positions. They have
done it five times and they never allowed any member
of any party to go near those positions , so I think it
was unfair and not correct and they took it
shamelessly and I am sure our party will look at it and
take what belongs to our party back .
“ Maybe there are ways APC can accommodate the
Southeast by way of appointment but certainly, we
have not seen PDP in the five times that they had
reasons to select leaders in the National Assembly ,
they never considered other parties in terms of giving
them position but I am sure that our party had it in
mind that it will carry the Southeast but not in the
position of the Senate President.
“ The Senate has Deputy Senate President; that position
does not belong to the PDP and that is the mistake
Ekweremadu is making . Now he said he was elected
deputy Senate president , yet he reduced himself to a
zone and a tribe , which is not good enough .
“ We are not saying he should step down or stay; what I
am saying is that what they have taken does not
belong to them and all those who supported him and
his party to get it have made a big mistake for
themselves , the party and indeed for the country and
they should be ashamed of themselves . ”
Asked of the way out , Kwankwaso asked the APC
leadership to enforce discipline .
He added : “ I don ’ t know , the party must be doing its
own bit but if I were the national chairman , I would
either write to these members individually a letter of
displeasure or call them and tell them because there
has to be discipline .
“ It does not matter whether you are 10 or 20 or even
1, 000, whatever your number is in a party , as long as
there is no discipline , definitely there will be problem. I
am one of the senior senators by any standard in this
country but because of the consideration of the fact
that Buhari is from the Northwest , of course not from
Kano, you are not seeing me going round to say I want
this position or that position .
“ I have president in my zone and I have to be
considerate in the sense that other zones should get it .
It is not like you will come by all means and you must
take it whether it favours the zoning, the party or not .
So , all these things must be respected by the party
and the members.
On the likelihood of the Saraki reaching out to Lawan ’s
Unity Forum for reconciliation , Kwankwaso said : “ I
think it is good to have reconciliation but I am not
aware of it , nobody informed me .
“ I am just watching the development and , in fact, on
that very day immediately after the so called election, I
had to travel to Paris to receive an award . . . I learnt
that some members were sworn in; well I will wait till
they come back from their break . ”
 has seen danger in Sena...){kind=link}
Post a Comment