*Urges President to settle rift between Saraki and Tinubu

Senator Salman Adebayo, a medical doctor, was the Deputy Senate Minority Leader of the ANPP during the 4th Senate. In a chat with Vanguard in Ilorin, he spoke on the crisis between the leaderships of the Senate and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC while also canvassing support for President Muhammadu Buhari on his anti-corruption war.

As a former minority leader of the Senate, how do you see the Senate Standing Rule that produced Senator Bukola Saraki as President of the Senate against the wish of a section of his party?

During our time, we were regarded as the guinea pig Senate (1999-2003). We were the ones that fashioned out most of these Senate standing rules. There was no minority then because we had about three parties. I was the Deputy Minority Leader of the ANPP. I was in the 6-man committee that was first set up by the senate that fashioned out the rules we are using today. We had the template of the 1989 Senate at that time. The rules of the Senate is very simple, subject to the constitutional provision that there shall be Senate President and his deputy among the members and without emphasis on parties.

Emphasis on parties

We have been in opposition for a very long time and in this regard, you can even protest against yourself because it has been one of ingredients for survival then as opposition. There is no doubt that there are mistakes along the line because we are new. The bane of banana peels in the Senate has always been through imposition. Our Senate was the most troubled and most unstable because we had three senate presidents and until we chose our own, there was no peace. You see, the Senate is not a place for imposition. There is a way party can impose if it wants and not like this.

The issue was first about zoning, which the party can zone to anywhere but leave the people to decide on the candidate they want from the region. The moment one is particular about a candidate, there will be problem. The Senate is the house of equals and the President is one among those equals and that is why he is a very powerful man in the country. When this thing happened, we were even lucky the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP did not snatch the seat. If we had made the mistake of not conducting any election as specified, it becomes a nullity because somebody can go to court on it because there was no retraction of that letter, which has a procedure.

Then we had 48 PDP senators and we needed only 37, which is one third of the total number. So they could have gone ahead to elect themselves as President and Deputy and there is nothing anybody can do about it because you need 73 votes to remove any of them and the APC has only 60. Saraki should be commended for saving APC. That is all we have been saying on allowing the senate to chose their man. Despite all the issues regarding the election and intrigues of Saraki, the Senate has twice passed a wide vote of confidence on him, irrespective of what the party says. Saraki just needs to be at home with his fellow senators.

What is your advice now that the issue has gotten to this level?

Whatever cannot be helped must be endured. He has emerged, even though he may not be the choice of his party, which is subject to many interpretations. It happened during the time of Aminu Tambuwwal, rather than continue the friction, we should make the best of the situation we have found ourselves and accept it. We have to be very careful as APC because the expectations from the people are enormous and we cannot afford to continue this bickering. The country is in a very bad shape. If we continue to press on this, it may lead to factionalisation. What we should be concerned with is whether he is performing now or not. So far, he has been one of the best Senate presidents we have had within the short time we have had him despite the crisis.

The issues between the Senate President and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu reached a crescendo, last week, with comments coming from both men. How best do you think the APC, as a party, should wade into this?

The two of them are not people you can wish away because they are powerful people in the party. I don't think there is anything personal about it and its easy to resolve. That is where the leadership should come in and the president must wade in at this time. He has to discard all the saying that he is not a politician and can work with anybody. This "siddon look" posture is what got us to this stage in the first place. Let the leaders come together, meet and trash out all the differences. I don't see any reason clinging to one position.

Banana peels within the Senate

The country is a very big enterprise and everybody can have things. We should not introduce 'Banana peels. There is no banana peel within the Senate but if there is any, it is always thrown from outside into the Senate through imposition of candidates.

The Senate President has been accused of being APC in body but having the soul of the PDP. Do you subscribe to this notion?

If I have opportunity, I will always like to go back to the Senate. There is no party in the Senate, it's just for convenience that we say majority and minority. During our time, former President Olusegun Obasanjo had more problem with the PDP, it was ANPP and AD that were his saving grace. Senators don't see things in party perspective once you are in the red chamber and that is how it should be. They are elder statesmen. The house you see on screen is exhibition as has been joked, and that is why some are saying they are not doing anything. The bulk of the job is done at committee levels.

What do you make of the ministerial screening?

To me, this is business unusual regarding what we have been seeing. Udo Udoma and I were in the same Senate. Before, the ministers would not have said a word but just take a bow which is conventional. Anybody that has been in the Senate and the House of Reps must have seen it all because they would have interacted with many ministries, agencies and even the judiciary, so what do you want to ask them? So far, it has been very good. The only person that was given that privilege was Lai Muhammed to honour the Senate President and Kwara state by extension. The rule is that any nominee that is not supported by at least two Senators will not be cleared.

Do you think President Buhari is succeeding in his fight against corruption?

To the extent that he is going to lay a solid foundation and template to fight it, yes. Corruption cannot be fought in four years. It's good that he is starting from the top, which will send a message because the average Nigerian is too greedy. We need strong institutions and not powerful individuals. If that is the much he is being able to do, it is okay.