He who fetches ant-infested firewood should get ready for the reptilian groove.
Our ancestors coined the above saying to perfection. There is nothing more to add, when you fetch ant-infested firewood you should get ready for a reptilian groove. When Bukola Saraki and his henchmen sabotaged their party and successfully carried out a ‘coup’ to assume leadership of the senate by colluding with the opposition PDP I posited then that winning a battle does not in any way translate to winning the war as it was clear to the discerning that many other battles lay ahead. That it was an action that also resulted in the emergence of Senator Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President made it more humiliating for the APC and left the intrigues ahead to one’s imagination.
Credit to him the medical doctor turned politician can rightly be described as well ‘connected’ and somewhat battle tested; his rise in politics started with his appointment as Obasanjo’s aide on budget matters. From there he only looked forward and propitiously combined charisma and diplomacy to rise rapidly. He however did not hesitate to display his other side when the need arose; in 2011 he most notably dismantled his father’s political structure in Kwara after initially working with him to dislodge Mohammed Lawal from Kwara state government house in 2003. He had to show the aging Oloye that he has come of age as the grandmaster had planned to install his sister whereas Bukola has other plans.
However, being an ex-governor more of these political battles were fought when he had immunity. He is now the Senate president, a higher position in the larger picture so to say but one without the special privilege of immunity enjoyed by the executive helmsmen. His fate unlike before is barely in his hands, and when my favourite columnist Dele Sobowole of Vanguard newspapers declared that Saraki had provoked the mother of all media wars i couldn’t agree more. Perhaps the clearest indication of the fierce conflict ahead came shortly after he assumed office, Senator Kabiru Marafa, the man at the forefront of the failed campaign to elect Senator Ahmed Lawan as the Senate President stated thus: “The election of a Peoples Democratic Party senator as Deputy Senate President is evidently a grand conspiracy to sabotage the Buhari government.” The man had smartly removed the party angle from it and phrased it to be Saraki vs Buhari and by extrapolation Saraki vs The People, now that’s a damn good way to start the battle for his party and the executive.
Since the 4th Republic, many have come to regard our national assembly as the bulwark of the corrupt. Populated by ex-governors and ministers with questionable records out of which many are still being prosecuted by various security outfits. It is indeed regarded as a bus stop for the next political office or the retirement abode for tired politicians. It is no surprise then that they rarely put the citizenry ahead in most of their considerations. Yet these are supposedly part of the elite few saddled with the responsibility of making laws for the people. It has not always been the same story though for there were times in the past when the national assembly have had the backing of the people in some of its skirmishes with the executive. Pius Anyim, Umar Ghali Na’Abba, and Ken Nnamani successfully steered the ship against Obasanjo’s often fractious belligerence. They were able to garner reasonable support from the people because they had not been previously associated with sleaze as none was an ex-minister or governor. However, their experiences tell the overwhelming trauma executive pressure can bring to bear upon a perceived foe. Patricia Etteh and Wagbara were not that lucky as they were forced to resign by the pressure of public opinion even though they committed no illegality. Politics can indeed be funny.
It has benefitted Saraki so far that he has the support of the majority of his colleagues in the upper chamber; it has even been more helpful that this support cuts across party lines as senators from both the APC and PDP have been seen in his solidarity entourage to the CCT sittings. However, politics, as we have always known, can be very dynamic, more especially in a nation where political ideals are lacking, events can swing at any moment and the apparent despair in Saraki’s mien, whenever he is in the dock, reveals that he is very much aware of the worrying times ahead. What should be more disturbing though is that past events seem to have put the upper house on a collision course with the people as posited by Senator Marafa. That is why our senators should be careful with how far they can stretch the people’s resolve to support this government’s fight against corruption.
Many are already disenchanted with the upper house given the manner in which they have conducted the business of law-making so far. Starting with that very leadership tussle which had one questioning the manner of opposition we will have with Saraki and Ike’s romance. Not long after that it became evident this particular senate will continue business as usual as the ministerial screening which some of them had boasted will be thorough only saw our dear senators receiving lectures from Fashola et al. I was particularly piqued that the PDP senators failed to grill Amaechi but were rather bamboozled by his smooth talk to the extent that many of them were eager to hug him after the normal ritual of “take a bow”. Our expectations fizzled and looking back at the drama one can only conclude that these guys are there for their own selfish gains period!
Forward to April 2016 our beloved Senators announced they will be purchasing SUVs worth N35m apiece, Nigerians were naturally outraged, the NLC threatened to #OccupyNASS but the Senators justified the need for SUVs by saying that ministers and even lawmakers from the lowers houses already have jeeps. Hear Senator Gobir: “There is no minister that hasn’t got about three or four cars, One land cruiser, maybe a backup, and two Hilux cars. There is no director in the civil service that hasn’t got a car, there is no perm sec that hasn’t got a land cruiser. In fact, every House of Assembly has either a Prado or a Land Cruiser and here is a senator you say he cannot have one Land Cruiser”. Poor masses, once pictures of the NLC President’s luxury jeep floated freely on cyberspace talk of #OccupyNASS went down south. Even in the midst of allegations that prices were inflated by about 100% they went ahead with the purchase and stories have it there was a scramble on the day keys were distributed.
Now that the budget has been passed, our attention has switched to the executive arm of government for implementation. It has always been the routine and the Senators know this. The takeaway for the masses is that even after the lengthy back and forth there isn’t any sign the usual Ghana Must Go bags exchanged hands, but more significantly Saraki’s trial at the CCT continues. So while the masses shift attention to monitor budget implementation by the executive, Saraki’s perceived traducers will remain focused on the trial. When weeks ago I learnt from a reliable source that the case files on the forgery of the senate standing rule had been ready long ago pending the passing of the budget, little did I know that the order from the AGF’s office that the DPP should prosecute those indicted within two weeks will be carried out swiftly. The Senate president’s blood pressure will be anything but normal. Let us remember that even with tough times facing the country President Buhari still enjoys cult followership, more especially in his Northern base, any attempt to fight back will likely be unproductive. The fallback option to PDP offers little hope with stories making round that former Senate President David Mark dismissed the idea of an unlikely return. PDP in itself is in total disarray, as a matter of fact, Oloye Jnr. can be considered lucky that Buhari though stubborn, is not disposed to the do-or-die tactics of fellow jackboot Obasanjo else we would be discussing a new Senate President by now.
As for Ike Ekweremadu the letter writer, the US Congress will have a good laugh if they even find time to read his tripe. I wonder if he wrote in his capacity or on behalf of the Senate President. Ike is a lawyer who should know better. His colleagues alleged forgery and the police investigated and then passed on to the AGF for prosecution but rather than go defend himself he is writing letters to allege marginalisation, he even dropped his usual suit and tie for native attire to attract sympathy from his region. A friend cynically asked why the dilapidated federal roads in the South East never deserved a single letter from the learned senator all the 13yrs he had been at the upper chamber. He can scream marginalisation till tomorrow but for a man who selfishly joined the ruling party in the senate leadership when he should be on the other side championing a vibrant opposition he should know that as you make your bed so you lay on it. But he is a humble and gentleman, we have sat together in church a couple of times and his humility is amazing. I sincerely pray that his case will not be like that of the man who rode on the back of the tiger and ended in its belly!
They say to fail to prepare is to prepare to fail. Any critical observer will agree that Saraki was never adequately prepared for this onslaught. He may have made one or two deals with powerful men who have the President’s ears but sometimes other exigencies can render such men and even the President helpless to intervene. The biggest burden for Oloye Jnr. is that his aggressors have enormous resources at their disposal; the media will not rest so long as his trial continues. It is just a matter of time before he bows to pressure; even his most fanatical followers know this. One would therefore hope that for our senators it will be time to remove the proverbial monkey’s hand from the soup before it turns into a human hand. The task of restoring confidence in the people and fence-mending with the executive can only start after that. A stitch in time…..
