Controversy over Obasanjo, Saraki secret meeting

Date: 2015-06-21

The visit of the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, to former President Olusegun Obasanjo in his Abeokuta residence could be said to be suspicious.

The visit, attended by only members of New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) and some senators loyal to Saraki added credence to the insinuation that the nPDP was plotting big in the All Progressives Congress (APC).

It is being insinuated that the members of the nPDP led by a former acting National Chairman, of the PDP Kawu Baraje, might soon ditch the APC and rejoin their former party.

The claim has meanwhile been denied by Saraki and his supporters. The meeting with Obasanjo has been interpreted to be a preparatory step by the APC chieftains to return to the PDP.

Journalists were barred from covering the meeting. Both Obasanjo and Saraki, while emerging from the meeting, laughed while they whispered to each other.

Expectedly, none of the parties (Obasanjo and Saraki) wanted to divulge the details of the meeting which began at 9:10am immediately after the Senate President arrived the palatial home of the former President and ended 11:10 am. But, there were some activities that took place prior to the secret meeting .

For instance, a day to the meeting, there was an insinuation that, Obasanjo might not attend to the Senate President. To lend credence to this, the former President was said to have travelled out of the country.

It was reliably gathered that Obasanjo apparently travelled to Norway, but flew back to Nigeria the previous night to attend the meeting. Many things had sparked off the controversy over the meeting. That Saraki was accompanied by some members of nPDP who defected to APC is believed not to be mere coincidence.

Saraki, a former governor of Kwara State and a former member of the PDP, had defected to the APC along with some aggrieved members of the party, including five governors, following irreconcilable differences between them and their former party leaders . Their defection, political analysts believed, aided the victory of the APC at the general elections.

But, after their victory, there seems to be disagreements between the group and the APC on the sharing of some positions. Findings showned that the group had wanted one of them to fly the APC flag at the presidential election, but, was blocked.

Also, the position of vice-president was not given to the group. After these, another attempt to shove the group aside in the leadership positions of the National Assembly hit the brick wall as one of them emerged Senate President. Saraki ,who emerged the Senate President under controversial circumstances, was believed to have incurred the wrath of Obasanjo and other leaders of the party.

Obasanjo, though claimed he was not a member of APC, has ceased to be a member of the PDP and was seen as more of a member of APC. All his 'boys' have defected to the APC while he hosts many leaders of the APC, including President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

At the initial stage of the campaign for the election of the Senate President, Saraki was not the preferred candidate of the party, but he refused to step down for the party's choice, Ahmed Lawan, and he eventually emerged with 57 votes. After his victory, he is believed to be mending fence with some party leaders.

Part of the moves was his meeting with former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar. But his choice to visit Obasanjo and not Tinubu is interpreted as extremely political and strategic.

According to an insider who did not want his name mentioned because he was not authorised to speak on the details of the meeting,Saraki's visit was to lobby Obasanjo. The source further said that the meeting was held to set agenda for the Senate President and to ensure the party embraces him despite his alleged insubordination.

According to the source, the meeting also centred on how to handle some sensitive issues at the National Assembly. Obasanjo, according to the source, suggested some way out on the logjam and how to be a successful Senate President.

Meanwhile, there was an indication that the leadership of APC might not have forgiven Saraki completely despite its statement of pardon issued recently. The indication was that no APC leaders in the South-West, including the host state, Ogun, was seen with Saraki.

The tradition is that the host governor would either be physically present at the meeting or be represented. Apart from that, the Senate President would also pay a visit to the governor. None of these happened.

The governor of the state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, was said to have travelled out of Abeokuta shortly before the meeting between Saraki and Obasanjo ended to attend a funeral ceremony in Ijebu.

This was unlike during the visit of a former Senate Present, Senator David Mark, to Obasanjo when many of the party (PDP) leaders were present.

Mark paid a visit to the governor who was not even a member of his party. It was reliably gathered that there might have been a directive by the APC leadership to stay away from Saraki pending the resolution of some issues.

The party, according to the findings, may have reached out to Amosun and others in the South-West prior to the Saraki meeting with Obasanjo.

The Senate President, when asked to comment on the alleged disobedience to the APC directive on the choice of the candidate for the Senate President seat, kept mum.

However, he denied any rift between him and his party, saying the relationship was cordial.

Source

 

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Moshood Mustapha     Sadiq Buhari     Muritala Awodun     Volunteers Of Ilorin Community And The Emirate     Abdulrazaq Solihudeen     Ita-Nmo Market     IQRA College     Wale Oladepo     Ike Ekweremadu     Odolaye Aremu     Oluronke Adeyemi     Yomi Ogunsola     Peter Obi     Towobola Abdulrahman Toyin     Kunle Suleiman     Bello Bature     Arinola Fatimoh Lawal     Saka Isau     Bola Olukoju     Boko Haram     Federal Road Maintenance Agency     Abioye Bello     Neuropsychiatric Hospital     Kulende-UITH     Hassan Abdulazeez Elewu     Abegunde Goke     Senate Presidency     Aishat Mohammed Lawal     Aremu Bose Deborah     Basic Education Certificate Examination     Okoolowo     Isiaka Saka Opobiyi     Abdulrahman Abdulrasak     Oke-Kura     Kwara Teaching Service Commission     Akeem Olatunji     Simeon Sayomi     Amina El-Imam     Wahab Agbaje     Saidu Isa     TIC     Abikan     Lawal Jimoh     Ibrahim Abdulqadir Abikan     Abdulkadir Bolakale Sakariyah     Sheikh Alimi     Muhammad Mustapha Suleiman     Saadatu Modibbo-Kawu     Hauwa Nuru     Kwara Poly     Suleiman Yahya Alapansapa     Bolaji Abdullahi     A.O. Belgore     Lanre Aremu     Mohammed Abdulahi     Abdulhakeem Adelaja Amao     Buari Edun     Aiyedun     Lasiele Alabi Yahaya     United Nigeria Congress Party     Roheemat Hammed     Temitope Ogunbanke     Gbemisola Saraki     Galadima     Habeeb Abdullahi Al-Ilory     Rebecca Bake     Kawu Baraje     Amina Susa\'a De Ahmed     Biliaminu Aliu     Iyabo Adisa Ibiyeye     Mahmud Ajeigbe     Okin High School     Harrison Osauwagboe     A.E. Afolabi     Habeeb Saidu     Undergraduate Bursary     Gbenga Adebayo    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

Click on a word/phrase to read more about it.

Ilorin South     Aasiyat Bello Oyedepo     Aliyu Umar     Obuh     Siraj Oyewale     Rabiu Kwankwaso     Olaiya Zuberu     Marufat Oladosu     Ahmed Saidu Rufai     2017 Budget     Michael Nzwekwe     Hassanat Bello     Nigeria Computer Society     Ilorin South Constituency     Abdulrazaq Aiyelabegan     Abiodun Musa Aibinu     Saba Mamman Daniel     Agbarere     Ganmo     Share-Tsaragi     Adedeji Onimago     Yusuf Aiyedun     Kwara State Health Insurance Agency     Saidu Kawu     Oja-Oba     Kayode Oyin Zubair     Mufutau Olatinwo     Matthew Babaoye     Rebecca Olanrewaju     Ayo Adeyemi     Kwarareports.com     Mohammed Saidu     Muslimah Entrepreneurship Forum     Ajidagba     Ashiru     AbdulRaheem Ahmad Shayi     Orisa Bridge     AIT Ilorin     Abatemi-Usman     Ojuekun     Woro     Titus Suberu-Ajibola     Allocation     Adedayo Yusuf Abdulkareem     March 28     Iyabo Adewuyi     Ademola Kiyesola     Haliru Yahaya     Issa Baba     JMK Construction Company Limited     Okanlawon Musa     Awoye     Paul Olawoore     Opolo Global Innovation Limited     Savannah Centre For Diplomacy, Democracy And Development     IQRA College     Shola Odetundun     RTEAN     Elese Of Igbaja     PharmAccess Foundation     Olusola Saraki     Raymond Olaitan     Chief Of Staff     Magaji Erubu     Afolabi-Oshatimehin Adenike Harriet     Ahmed Shuaib Buranga     Abdulbaqi Jimoh     Adesoye College     Arinola Fatimoh Lawal     Abdulrazak Shehu Akorede     Iyabo Dupe Adekeye     Isiaka Danmeromu     NURTW     Ibikunle Ogunleye     Olokoba     March 18     Bayer Nigeria Limited