Will Bukola Saraki run for president in 2023?

 

An unlikely player in the 2023 presidential elections could be former senate president Bukola Saraki.

But his potential journey to Nigeria’s Aso Villa – the workplace and official residence of the president of Nigeria – will be very rocky at best. As is common in Nigerian politics, he has made some enemies on his way to the top.

His star has also been on the wane. On 24 February 2019, the electoral officer in charge of the Kwara Central senatorial district announced the results of the senatorial elections. Bukola Saraki, the senate president, lost his reelection campaign to the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Yahaya Oloriegbe.

The loss signified an endpoint of the so-called Saraki dynasty – a political power base started by Olusola Saraki, a politician who was a senator of the Nigerian Second Republic between 1979 and 1983. The dynasty produced nearly every governor in Kwara State since 1979. But the election loss in 2019 was a culmination of several loses for Saraki in the Nigerian election cycle.

After defecting to People’e Democratic Party (PDP) in 2018, Saraki launched his presidential ambitions, which ended as he lost the primary to former vice-president Atiku Abubakar, who later lost the national election to Muhammadu Buhari.

Saraki’s defection to the PDP was full circle.

• He had left the PDP in 2014 to join the APC.
• According to Saraki: “When we left the PDP to join the then nascent coalition of APC [in 2014], we left in a quest for justice, equity and inclusion; the fundamental principles on which the PDP was originally built but which it had deviated from. We were attracted to the APC by its promise of change. We fought hard along with others and defeated the PDP.”

Popularity tested

But his ascension to the role of senate president in 2015 ultimately tested his popularity. Saraki had a well-documented thirst for taking on political battles and ultimately besting his opponents.

• He ambitiously fought his dad, his sister, the presidency, several impeachment plots and even the APC – and won.
• He had been described as an aggressive and power-hungry politician known for making alliances and partnerships, even with his opponents.
• Saraki had taken over the leadership of the senate in what the APC dubbed the “highest level of treachery, disloyalty and insincerity within any party”.
• Saraki defeated his party’s preferred candidate, current senate president Ahmed Lawan, to emerge as the senate president. He was nominated by Sani Yerima and was elected unanimously by 57 senators present at the session. The remaining 51 senators were at the International Conference Centre waiting for a truce meeting reportedly called by the leadership of the APC and President Buhari.

Can he make a comeback?

These days, Saraki is living a muted life away from the public eye. For his loyalists in Kwara, he will return. But, the general consensus in Kwara is that he is done politically. Several policy experts argue that Saraki had one shot at staying in public office but ultimately lost it.

“Leaving the APC to rejoin the PDP exposed him politically, and he couldn’t defeat the federal might at the polls. He managed to stay till the end of his tenure as senate president despite the court cases that were manufactured against him by the APC to remove him,” Ugochukwu Ikeakor, a Lagos-based policy researcher and volunteer for the Saraki campaign team, tells The Africa Report.

Despite joining the APC to work for the Buhari presidency in 2015, his role in the senate put him at loggerheads with Aso Villa. If his ascent to the senate presidency hurt his relationship with the APC, his opposition to Buhari’s policies was a nail in the coffin.

Home in Kwara

Saraki has a strong following in Kwara. But in December 2019, governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq announced a decision to revoke the late Olusola Saraki’s property owing to alleged illegality in its acquisition. This was presumably to stamp his authority and mark the finality of Saraki’s political defeat in the state. Despite protesters who kept vigil, the demolition of the home was carried out.

“Saraki might be able to get back into local politics in Kwara if he plays his cards right. He has a great following on the ground, and he can make a case for himself against the current government of the state,” explains Damilola Adebayo, a Lagos-based policy researcher. “Saraki cannot enter any serious conversations about the presidency anymore. Losing his senatorial seat will remain a dent in his record forever.”

Ikeakor disagrees: “I think he still has a shot. He is young and educated, and he has both executive and legislative experience. That will always be an added advantage to him. He still has his political connections. He is a key stakeholder in PDP and party politics in Nigeria. 

Saraki’s greatest undoing in the last election was joining PDP, same thing with Atiku.”

But some other political commentators argue that many people have gotten burnt by following Saraki. Despite Saraki’s reputation for being able to work even with his opponents, the political rumor mill says that he has lost many friends after losing those recent elections.

WAEC clears air on leaked question papers

The West Africa Examinations Council (WAEC) has insisted that none of its question papers for the ongoing West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) has been leaked.

This year’s examination started on Monday, August 17 and has been marred with reports of alleged circulation of question papers.

But in a statement by its Head of Public Affairs, Demainus Ojijeogu, WAEC maintained there was no leaked question paper.

“There has been no leakage of any paper, whatsoever. Some have even gone ahead to misquote the head of the National Office of WAEC Nigeria, Mr. Patrick Areghan, as confirming the same.

“This is far from the truth and we take very strong exception to it.

“The council’s monitoring/investigations have revealed that some unscrupulous and unpatriotic supervisors/invigilators, and in some cases, candidates, snap the question papers (while the examination is in progress) and forward to their outside collaborators who in turn, provide solutions to the questions which they send to their subscribers via criminally-inclined websites, SMS and WhatsApp, even as this is against our regulation of: use of cell phones in the examination hall is not allowed,” the statement read.

The exam body also revealed that “some culprits, who were caught in the act in Bauchi, Nasarawa and Rivers states, have been arrested and will be prosecuted.”

Akpabio Fights Back, Seeks Probe of NDDC’s N15tn Allocations

 

Ndubuisi Francis in Abuja

The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, yesterday fought back the push against him, criticising the limited scope of the National Assembly’s inquest into the financial activities of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC).

According to him, the probe should not be restricted to between February and July 2020 that’s currently the mandate of the National Assembly, but should be a comprehensive probe of the interventionist agency’s 19 years of existence.
The NDDC, he said, received over N15 trillion in the last 19 years, with nothing to justify the huge funds, wondering why the lawmakers decided to probe five months’ activities in the commission.

Speaking when members of the Independent Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) visited him in Abuja, yesterday, Akpabio noted that discretionary probe would not address the problem of the commission, which he described as a cesspit of corruption.

He, however, assured Niger Delta residents and the country that the outcome of the ongoing forensic audit would expose the magnitude of the rot in the commission.

The minister said: “In the quest to reposition the Niger Delta Development Commission, and bring development and succour to the Niger Delta region, you will never walk alone. That is what I think out of NDDC. And I am very excited about it.
“Things have started so fast that I have started wondering that is it that the voices have been drawn? Is it that the voices of the masses are wearing now? Is it because of the mask we are wearing now Nigerians and Niger Deltans can no longer talk? Or is it that I am a mad man, who has seen the reason to move the region forward. Is it that people are not aware that NDDC for instance has existed for the past 20 years?

“Why can’t people ask questions? How come it is only now that the noise is louder? How come it is only now that even our parliament has found it necessary to conduct a selective probe of NDDC? Instead of beginning from the inception, year 2001, they are now doing five months probe out of almost 20 years of existence.

“Why? NDDC has been in existence since 1999. What is really happening now? How is it all petitions on earth are happening? When the wind blows, it blows along with answer.

“But I had an interview with Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) and that was sometime in October /November 2019. Shortly after Mr. President ordered forensic audit of NDDC, I was on NTA and I pointed out that as soon as this forensic audit commences, that hell would be let loose.”

According to him, during the interview, he predicted petitions would be filed against the activities of NDDC while its officials would be accused of various wrongdoings.

“You will hear shout, you will hear accusations and you will hear false accusations. In fact, they would start campaign of calumny, not just against the minister, not just against the ministry, even against Mr. President himself for daring to ask for forensic audit.

“To have received this commendations and confidence vote from the leadership of the IPMAN, we are not working alone. That in spite the noise and false accusations and all that, the Niger Deltans are with me and the Ministry of Niger Delta. We give God glory,” he stated.

He said the orchestration against him and the NDDC Interim Management Committee (IMC) was so organised and well-funded “that you hardly open a newspaper and you don’t see a screaming headline, and all they are talking now is corruption in five months; not corruption in 19 years and seven months. Those ones were period of bliss and period of success in the NDDC.”

Islamic group attacks NBA for inviting Obasanjo, Wike

 

Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC), has described the Nigeria Bar Association, NBA’s decision to withdraw its invitation to Governor Nasir El-Rufai as parochial, myopic and jejune.

The NBA yesterday removed the name of El-Rufai from the list of speakers at its 2020 Virtual Annual General Conference (AGC) which is scheduled for 26th to 29th August, 2020.

The Islamic human rights organisation reacted to the development in a statement made available to DAILY POST through its Director, Professor Ishaq Akintola.

El-Rufai was billed to speak on the topic: ‘Who is a Nigerian?’ But his inclusion led to outrage and backlash, even on social media. 

MURIC’s statement added, “NBA yesterday dropped Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, the governor of Kaduna State from the list of speakers at its Virtual AGC which is billed to start on 26th August, 2020. It is high level prejudice. The NBA as a group of learned literati should know better. It is parochial, myopic and jejune.

“The fact that NBA took the ill-advised step on account of a petition written by a group, Open Bar Initiative whose main fear is expressed as ‘One can be sure that he will also use the given platform to advance his conflated narrative, designed to deceive and confuse the nation on the real causes of the killings’ exposes NBA’s impatience, intolerance and self-conceit.

“Is it not better to hear him out than to lock him out? Is it not better to jaw-jaw than to war-war? The departure of the ambassador, they say, is the beginning of war.

“By dropping El-Rufai, NBA has declared war on the other side in the Southern Kaduna crisis. By so doing, it lost a golden chance to be part of the solution to the conflict. The NBA has elected to be part of the problem.

“Was it not Jane Goodall who said, ‘Change happens by listening and then starting a dialogue with the people who are doing something you don’t believe is right’? Change cannot come through rejection and exclusion.

“How justifiable is the NBA’s decision to exclude Governor El-Rufai from the virtual conference when people like Chief Olusegun Obasanjo of Odi and Zaki Biam fame and Governor Nyesom Wike are among the speakers?

“Who bulldozed the hotels of innocent people despite court orders? Who visited unspeakable violence on political opponents?

“Should NBA hobnob with people linked to genocide and undemocratic practices? So why demonise El-Rufai where killers of innocent people and enemies of democracy are idolised?

“MURIC calls on all lawyers from the North to boycott NBA’s AGC in protest against this open declaration of war on Northern Kaduna. Every little action of injustice must spark a reaction if tyranny is to be stopped in the world.

“The NBA has crossed the red line in human relations and conflict management. No single lawyer from the North should participate in the AGC either as a resource person or as a participant unless the NBA rescinds its decision to drop El-Rufai from the list of speakers. Injury to one is injury to all.”

Gov El-Rufai blows hot as NBA cancels his invitation to conference

 

The Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, has said the withdrawal of his invitation to speak at this year’s Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) conference, is an “unfortunate embrace of injustice”.

El-Rufai said this in a statement signed by his spokesperson, Muyiwa Adekeye, on Thursday.

The NBA withdrew the invitation, following protests from some lawyers.

However, El-Rufai in the statement, insisted he will continue to offer his opinions on critical issues in the country and his voice will not be silenced.

“While the decision about who speaks at its event is clearly the NBA’s, Malam El-Rufai wishes to make clear that he did not seek the platform and is not agitated that he has one less speaking engagement.

“However, the circumstances of the last few days warrant some comments. That a professional organisation has elected to endorse a one-sided narrative on a profound national issue is something that its members may wish to reflect upon.

“For an association, whose bread and butter is about justice, to make a ruling based on the stridency of people who lampoon judicial processes against certain individuals without hearing the other side is odd. It bears noting that in its response to pressure, the NBA leadership has signalled an unfortunate embrace of injustice, unfairness, absence of fair hearing and total disregard for the rule of law,” the statement read.

Madagascar President sacks Health Minister for seeking foreign help

 

Madagascar has sacked its Minister of Health, Ahmad Ahmad as coronavirus spreads in the country.

This is coming a month after Ahmad had a problem with the President for seeking outside help for coronavirus.

Madagascar saw COVID-19 cases rise in July despite an official campaign to promote a controversial herbal drink touted as a remedy for the virus.

Minister Ahmad had written a letter to international agents asking for medical equipment after hospitals in the country raised concern about lack of beds.

The move angered President Andry Rajoelina who said the Minister had acted “without consulting” either the government or head of state.

His sack was announced on Thursday as President Rajoelina reshuffles his cabinet