Senate President Abubakar Bukola Saraki in his first interview with journalists three weeks after his emergence as President of the Senate, explains what really happened and reasons why he disagrees with APC leadership on certain issues. Excerpts

What happened inside the senate chamber on June 9 when you emerged the Senate president? Why were you not at the international conference centre to meet with President Buhari?

I did not stop the various meetings I was having till around 4.am on June 9, and I got information that efforts were likely being made to make sure I did not gain access into the chambers. So, as early as 5 am, I had a contingency plan that I must have my way.

But I was advised that it would not be safe or secure for me to do that because there were some people who were striving to ensure that if I did not get to the chamber, it will not be possible for anybody to nominate me or second my nomination. So, I had to devise my own means.

I was at the National Assembly Complex as early as 6.am. I stayed in the car park, inside the car from that 6.am to quarter to 10.am. This is the truth. I was there and there was no communication. So, anybody that said he spoke to me or called me was lying. I did not know what was going on. All I did was to monitor how people were arriving into the chamber.

It was at quarter to 10.am that I got an information that the clerk had entered the chambers. I got out of my small car, put on my babariga and to the chambers. Even when I was in the chambers, the only thing I observed was that some of our senators were not present, but for the fact that people were arriving in batches, I was of the opinion that they will come in subsequent batches. By 10 am, the event started and before we knew it, my election had come and gone.

Some say you went into an alliance with PDP to emerge; how true is that?

I laughed when people said that I had a deal that led to the emergence of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President. I did not make any deal for Ekweremadu to win. I did not need a deal because as I said, I worked hard. When PDP said that they had a candidate for the position of Deputy Senate President, we also told them we had a candidate in the name of Senator Ali Ndume. It was our own calculation that after we finished the Senate President's election, the two groups in APC would meet and agree on a candidate. We never in our own team thought the other group would not turn up for the inauguration. By the time we got there, we were 25 or thereabout and there were over 40 PDP senators. So, there was no way they would not have defeated us and that was what happened.

For any APC member, it is unfortunate that we have a PDP man as a Deputy Senate President. It is painful for any APC member.

Your emergence was against your party's wish. One would have thought that in order to mend fences, you would have accepted the party's nominees for principal officers, but you did otherwise; why so?

We have it on record that at no time did the party say it has zoned this position to a particular zone. Soon after the election, the party held a meeting at the caucus level. There was a working document that the party presented, which showed that it had zoned the Senate presidency to North Central, but at the meeting, it was rejected, thus, the party needed to go back and work on the paper.

If the party had said it has zoned this position to the North East, Abubakar Bukola Saraki would never have contested for the office of Senate President. But the party said there was no zoning and that it would use merit and all that. It also said anybody from the two zones can contest.

On the issue of principal officers, it is true that the party did send a letter, but as you all know, we are guided by the constitution and the Senate Standing Order. These are two documents that I have taken an oath to ensure that whatever I do as the Senate President, I will abide by their rules. And also by parliamentary practices and procedures and things that are done as convention, you know that the contents of that letter clearly was not the norm or what the practice is.

Since your emergence, have you met with President Buhari or any leader of the party such as Bola Tinubu?

First, it has been the view of some of us senators that what Mr. President wants to see as a father is a reconciliation among us as a group and his position is that he will like us to unite so that he is not seen to be on one side or the other. I think those steps are going on.

As regards Asiwaju Tinubu, as you know, he is one of the leaders of the party and I have great respect for him. Two of us have worked very closely together on major issues in the party leading to issues that were very important at different stages in the development of our party. Unfortunately, in this matter, as much as one wants to win a support of all forces within, it happened like that and I think at the end of the day, we will look at the things we have done together that have gone well.

Yes, we have had a meeting with the party's chairman. A number of times we tried to find solutions, unfortunately we have not been able to make much progress and that is the reason I find it very funny when I read that the party chairman is either supporting me or that he has compromised. How has the party's chairman helped me?

Nobody should say that the party's chairman is trying to help or is dancing to Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki's tune. I think that the party has taken some of the decisions based on what they think is their interest. I disagree with the way they have managed some of the issues. It was not to my own advantage in any way. I was the first person that dropped my presidential ambition the moment President Buhari announced he was going to contest for election and since then and throughout the time of the primary elections, I worked tirelessly. The truth will always prevail and that would be seen because, God forbid, any failure on the side of Buhari is a failure for me.

It is believed that people like Tinubu did not support you because you will be too powerful, especially when 2019 comes; how do you view that?

I hear a lot about this 2019 and honestly, I feel very sad that people are talking about 2019 now. The challenges ahead of us are enormous. We have a lot of work and I cannot understand how responsible politicians, knowing the kind of challenges that we have, will begin to talk about 2019.

First of all, the challenges that we have in meeting the expectations of the people, assuming we are even in a buoyant economy is huge. Then, unfortunately, we are in a situation where the world economic recession with the drop in oil price is going to affect the challenges ahead. How then can we leave those challenges and be talking about 2019? I find that to be very irresponsible. I do not want to be part of it. It is not on my radar. What is paramount to me now is Nigeria. Honestly, anybody that talks about 2019 must be very irresponsible. President Buhari said he wants to appoint his ministers alone; don't you think he should involve the party leaders?

We have elected Mr. President as a leader of the party. I believe he will find the candidates he believes are fit and good for the offices. I am sure in most cases too it will be with the consultation with party leaders. There cannot be rigid position. There will be a hybrid. There would be the candidates that he wants and also, in taking those decisions, you know that it is not possible for one man to know the entire 36 states. He might have a good knowledge of people in certain states, but in some states too, I am sure he will ask people about candidates he wants to appoint as ministers. What is key is for us to have a right team that will support him because he is heading that team and at the end of the day, he can be happy with whom he works with.

So, we can say that the prerogative in that process would be his. The process of getting there is ongoing.

As chairman of the National Assembly, what's your reaction to Thursday's fracas on the floor of the House?

Honestly, it was unfortunate, but if we have taken certain necessary steps, I do not think these will happen. We must respect the wishes of the members of the National Assembly. Yes, as part of the party, you must work with them, but working with them is different from directing the senators and there must be a kind of dialogue because the rules in both the Senate and the House of Reps are very clear.

At the end of the day, party's role must be seen as guideline or advisory. It must be seen as advisory, not as something that must and shall be implemented. I believe that what we saw in the House of Reps was a fallout of that and that is what I will appeal for, that members of the House sit down together among themselves, not with outside forces.