Fresh facts have emerged showing why Senate President Bukola Saraki led a delegation of Senators to meet former President Olusegun Obasanjo at his hilltop mansion, Abeokuta, Ogun state on Friday.
A source close to the meeting revealed that the Senate President was in Abeokuta to beg Mr. Obasanjo to reconcile him with President Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC.
Mr. Saraki emerged as the president of the Senate against the decision of APC leaders. He was also elected when most Senators from the APC were at the International Conference Centre waiting to hold a meeting with Mr. Buhari to discuss the election of the Senate president and Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Our sources said Mr. Saraki lamented to Mr. Obasanjo that although the party leaders have stated that they have accepted his emergence, there was “complete communication breakdown between him, the president and the party”.
The national chairman of the APC, John Oyegun, had abruptly cancelled a scheduled meeting with Mr. Saraki last week without giving another appointment.
Likewise, we also gathered that Mr. Saraki had tried severally to meet with Mr. Buhari after his emergence, but was always denied audience.
Another source in the presidency informed us that the President was angry with Mr. Saraki and the management of the national assembly for going ahead with their election despite adequate knowledge of an invitation for a meeting with Mr. Saraki and his colleagues.
“The president considered it as a mark of disrespect for his office for Saraki to ignore an invitation to meet with him and his colleagues,” our source said.
In his response to the Senate President’s lamentation, Mr. Obasanjo reportedly promised to do his best to “ensure communication between all parties”.
However, the spokesperson for the president, Garba Shehu, said the Senate president has never sought a meeting meeting with Mr. Buhari since his election.
“I am not aware of any request for a meeting, the president would have seen him, he represents a key institution in our democracy,” he said.
Calls to Mr. Saraki and his aide, Bamikole Omishore, were not answered.
Our source said the former president, in his usual jocular self, also joked with the delegation, saying “ you children of nowadays only run to elders when you have finished making the damage”.
Mr. Saraki and his entourage laughed.
A presidency official however told newmen President Buhari was aware of the the senate president’s visit to Mr. Obasanjo’s home.
The official said Buhari and Obasanjo are constantly in touch and regularly have telephone conversations.
The official said in one of their recent conversations, Mr. Obasanjo informed Mr. Buhari that Mr. Saraki was leading a delegation of Senators to his Abeokuta home.
Among Mr. Saraki’s delegation include former governor of Gombe state, Danjuma Goje, Senator Andy Uba, former Zamfara governor, Ahmed Sani, and former Osun governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola.
Mr. Saraki and most members of his delegation are largely Mr. Obasanjo’s “boys”, a term loosely used in describing the former president’s staunch loyalists. Click to signup for FREE news updates, latest information and hottest gists everyday
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SARAKI; sheep in wolve clothing. he has pdp background. pdp senators in the senate chambers are graph plotters. buhari shld watch his step. apc are in learning peocess.
ReplyDeleteWhy wont there be communication breakdown, u betrayed their trust in u, now ur running around. Do u think everything will be the same again? It will take God's grace for that trust to be earned back.
ReplyDeleteWhether or not, Saraki is already a Senate president instead impose leadership of the NASS.
ReplyDeleteThis country belongs to all and all senators elected have the right to vile for any post within the assembly. There shouldn't be too much of romance between the presidency and the parliament in the first instance.
Go on saraki....
ReplyDeleteNigeria is behind an independent senate. So some people think it is in the interest of the masses for the senate to be in romance with the presidency? Who then will checkmate the presidency? we can as well not have a senate.
ReplyDeletethe senate is to checkmate the power of the president what happen is divine if note the goods & wrongs of the president no one can comment on them except the masses who are the receiving end
ReplyDeleteReduce your salaries.
ReplyDeletelooters
If APC have been imposing people in power and the are making progress and achieving a lot upto this level. I think that is the strategy that works for them.
ReplyDeleteAutocratic, participative, strategic, stick and carot etc are different type of leadership depending on the one that BEST work for any organisation is being adopted.
Senate are to checkmate the president. AGREED. But it could checkmate for GOOD or BAD.
Saraki wouldnt have betrayed his party if he share the VISION of the party
Saraki was voted to be a Senator under the platform of APC. Whether you agree or not he has to show loyalty to his party at least for a start. He was not there as an independent candidate. He betrayed his party. simple. Was Senator David Mark not loyal to his party PDP? He was over ambitious.
ReplyDelete