OPINION: RE: Bukola Saraki: Sunset At Noon. By Sulyman Buhari

Date: 2016-03-04

When British philosopher and social critic, Bertrand Russell opined that, "Whenever one finds oneself inclined to bitterness, it is a sign of emotional failure", he must have had characters like Iyiola Oyedepo on mind.

It is instructive to note that, Iyiola, the author of an op-ed article titled, "Bukola Saraki: Sunset At Noon", is the embattled chairman of the deceased Peoples Democratic Party in Kwara State.

For Iyiola, his recent vituperation is not unpredictable. He is perpetually inclined to bitterness and everything anti-Saraki. He belongs to the class of hypocrites and demagogues who believe the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki is the only political factor diminishing their political relevance and dampening their political survival in the politics of Kwara State. Therefore, he couldn't have surmounted the temptation of concealing his excitement at the realisation that his fellow-traducers have set the machinery of the law against his first enemy.

Before I address the crux of his most recent diatribe against the person of the Senate President, I wish to digress in order to convincingly establish why comments and opinions of Iyiola have ceased to hold water in the political landscape of Kwara State. Kwarans no longer listen to him as much as they no longer believe him. It remains a potent premise upon which Nigerians should ignore and disregard his latest layers of lies, catalogue of half-truths, wild assertions, hallucinations, expressed delusions.

I must admit that before his emergence as the chairman of the opposition PDP in Kwara State, he has cut an image of an acclaimed self-righteous social critic and public affair analyst for himself. He had written articles on internal democracy within political parties, governance and quite a few topical issues.

As if the gods wanted to shame him, he once again emerged party chairman. He ruined his party with undemocratic actions, and greedy appetite for wealth, like he betrayed his former party, the Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN). He turned out to be worse than persons in positions of authority who had been the subjects of his criticisms. The veil shielding the hypocrite was uncovered. The hypocrite was exact opposite of all he had written in the past. He lived a fake life, you may say. As the party chairman, if he was accused of diverting party funds to buy himself SUV on Monday, the next day; he would be alleged of failure to disclose funds he got on behalf his party from the looters of yesterday at Abuja. He couldn't even lead his executive committee of less than 50 persons, so conducting credible congresses and party primary election for his party members never happened. Having looted his party and in respect to other scandals, he has on himself the toga and stains of corruption.

Therefore, it is preposterous for the hypocrite to have attempted to put the Senate President in the group of convicted Nigerians. Dr. Saraki doesn't belong to the group of infamy. Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki belongs to the group of distinguished Nigerians who have paid their dues for the sustenance of the Nigeria's nascent democracy over the last two decades that he held privileged positions of leadership in the country. He belong to the group of Nigerians who have ever pursued their dreams of a better Nigeria despite hurdles placed on their ways by their adversaries.

In his latest article, the hypocrite made futile and vain attempt to rewrite the history of Kwara politics since 2003 till date. It was a false and faulty chronicle. The piece is as faulty as the writer, who lacks credibility to speak on such issues. However, since the ongoing trial of the Senate President at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) is the crux of his most recent diatribe, I will, therefore, move to address some of the issues raised.

Like the hypocrite admitted in the article, the trial of the Senate President is politically-motivated. It only further confirms that the conspiracy transcends a single party. Really, there is no reasonable reason why the ICPC, EFCC, SFU and other agencies of the State would not have thrown out the litany of petitions written against the Senate President and sponsored by Mr Iyiola, as he admitted, when the contents were largely frivolous, false and unsubstantiated. Like those thrown-away petitions, this trial will soon phaseout.

Meanwhile, it is unfortunate that the hypocrite could betray his professional competence when he insinuated that the decision of the legal counsels to the Senate President to explore preliminary legal options is that of a guilty person trying to evade judgement. That is untrue. The hypocrite as a supposed lawyer should know that despite the Supreme Court judgement, the issue of jurisdiction cannot be acceptably settled without reference to section 6 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended).

On the same issue, a professor of Constitutional Law and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Ben Nwabueze recently said, "he (Senate President) has a constitutional right to be tried in accordance with Section 6 of our Constitution. To go against that is to put into jeopardy our constitutional system. The Supreme Court should not be allowed to put all of us into this kind of jeopardy. This country belongs to all of us, not to the Justices of the Supreme Court alone". The above quote is instructive to cure the ignorance of Mr. Iyiola and his fellow-tranducers.

I wish to reiterate that the true test of leadership is the amount of challenges that are faced and surmounted. As a former Presidential Adviser on Budget, two-term Governor of Kwara State, Chairman of the Nigerian Governors' Forum and now a second-term Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, it will be preposterous to think that Senator Bukola Saraki's path will not be rough.

This ongoing politically-motivated trial is therefore part of the rough paths of leadership and like those challenges he has faced and surmounted in the past, this too shall pass. It has come and it will go.

If only Iyiola had harkened to the advice of Martin Luther King, Jr, that, "Never succumb to the temptation of bitterness", perhaps, he wouldn't have come out to dance naked in the public square.

Sulyman Buhari, is the Publicity Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kwara State.

 

Cloud Tag: What's trending

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

Magaji Are     Olomu     The Herald     Tayo Alao     Nigeria Foundation For Artificial Intelligence     Admiralty Villa     Nigeria Governors\' Forum     Saka Isau     Sulyman Atolagbe Alege     Oba Abu     FOMWAN     Oja-Oba     Kazeem Oladepo     Yeketi     Orisun Igbomina     Trader Moni     Ilorin Emirate Staff Association     Akanbi-Oke     Amada Jidda     Agbarigidoma     Post-utme     Kwara University Of Education     March 18     Abdullahi Biffo     Oyun     Shehu Jimoh     Kale Belgore     Funke Adedoyin     Amoyo     Mohammed Yisa     Arca Santa     Shettima Of Ilorin     Balogun-Ojomu     Sam Onile     Kamaldeen Ajibade     Dar-Al-Handasah Consultants Ltd     Jumoke Monsura Gafar     Katibi Ibraheem Adeola     Abraham Ojo     Kwara State Pension Board     Tsaragi-Share     Bashir Adigun     Hamidu Olowo     Rebecca Olanrewaju     KWASSIP     Imodoye Writer’s Enclave     Elelu     Abdulrauf Aliyu     Gobir     Bisi Oyeleke     Ado Ibrahim     First Lady     Halimah Perogi     Aso Ofi     Mansurat Amuda-Kannike     Madawaki Of Ilorin     Toyin Sanusi     Olaiya Victor Mobolaji     Musa Ayinla Yeketi     IEDPU     KWACOBPA     Summit University     Muritala Awodun     Simeon Sule Ajibola     Bisi Kristien     Imam Gambari     Ilorin Talaka Parapo (ITP)     Logun     Yakubu Shaaba     Garba Dogo     Magaji Nda     Aremu Odolaye     Abdulrosheed Okiki     Shehu Adaramaja     Junior Secondary School Certificate Examinations     Ahman Pategi University     Ashiru    

Cloud Tag: What's trending

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

Mopelola Abdulmaliq-Bashir     Young Progressives Party     Adeniyi Ojo     Ishola Balogun Fulani     Students Union Government     Sambo Murtala     Hauwa Nuru     Lanwa     Ibrahim Bio     Fatimoh Lawal     Odogun Olushola Gabriel     Mubarak Oladosu     Yusuf Zulu-Gambari     SDP     John Kehinde Salako     Amos Sayo     ER-KANG Mining     Khadijat Ayoola Yusuf     KWASAA     Halimat Yusuf     Najim Yaasin     Apado     Islamiya Abdulraheem     TIC     Kwara TV     Nurudeen Muhammed     Lukman Oyebanji Fagbemi     Suleiman Ajadi     Ilorin International Airport     Binta Abubakar-Mora     Kamaldeen Gambari     Charles Ibitoye     AbdulRazaq Jiddah     Adesoye     Inside Kwara     Awoye     Oyeyemi Olasumbo Florence     Ghali Muhammed     Alloy Chukwuemeka     Opaleke Bukola Iyabo     Rotimi Oyedepo     UTME     Hijab     Florence Saraki     Idris Amosa Oladipo Saidu     Sheikh Hamzat Yusuf Ariyibi     Kolawole Bashirat     Sunday Fagbemi     Hamid Bobboyi     Edret Sabi Abel     Minister     Kwara Basketball Association     Bayer Nigeria Limited     Yusuf Abdulkadir     Bahago     Senate Presidency     Saba Jibril     Ilorin Airport     Tayo Alao     Yakubu Mohammed Abdullahi     Mahe Abdulkadir     HICA     Elections     Toyin Falola     Bashiru Makama     Umar Bayo Abdulwahab     Razak Atunwa     Just Law Forum     Kwha.gov.ng     Alumni Association Of The Federal Polytechnic Offa     Nnazua     Ilorin Like-Minds     Zaratu Umar     Salihu Alhaji Musa     Alore     KWAFFA     Kawu