With the ruling All Progressives Congress still coming to terms with the controversial emergence of principal officers of the National Assembly, the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has said he never intentionally spurned his party’s position on the choice of the officers. He also denied striking a deal with Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which led to the emergence of a PDP senator as deputy senate president.

In his first public comment since the inauguration of National Assembly on June 9, Saraki, whose election as senate president provoked strong disapproval from APC, also regretted the emergence of Senator Ike Ekweremadu from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party as deputy senate president.

This is as indications emerged at the weekend that the disagreements over the emergence of the National Assembly leadership may move to the APC National Executive Committee as the party sets itself to choose the chairman of its Board of Trustees. There were hints that two key gladiators in the present crisis, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and APC national leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, might be on a collision course over who would lead the board.  

APC had in a mock election on June 6 picked Senator Ahmed Lawan as its nominee for the post of senate president and Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as its choice for Speaker of the House of Representatives. But while APC legislators were, allegedly, meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the International Conference Centre, Abuja, on the morning of the National Assembly inauguration day, Saraki was elected senate president on the floor of the senate by mainly PDP senators. A similar situation occurred at the House of Representatives, where Hon. Yakubu Dogara emerged Speaker against the choice of the APC.

Saraki was, reportedly, elected by 57 senators, made up of the 49 PDP senators in the 8th Senate and some APC senators, a situation that fuelled speculation that the former Kwara State governor might have struck a deal with the PDP.

But speaking with journalists yesterday in Abuja, Saraki denied any deal with PDP. He said Ekweremadu’s emergence as deputy senate president was a painful situation brought about by the errors and miscalculations of his party men. Saraki said the PDP senators made an independent decision to support him and did not communicate their decision to him until about 2am on that June 9.

According to Saraki, “PDP senators had announced to the public that they were supporting me at 10pm without meeting me, in their own strategic interest. It was not until 2am that they called us to tell us this was their decision and when they expressed their desire that they had a candidate, we told them that we had our own candidate in the name of Ndume supporting us. It was our own thinking that after the election of the Senate President, that the two groups within APC would meet and agree on a candidate.

“We never thought then that the other group would not turn up. We (APC) were 24 in the chamber and they were 49. So, there was no way in an election that they would not defeat us. If they had done House election first, a PDP deputy speaker would have also emerged. It is unfortunate that we have a PDP man as deputy senate president. It is very painful that after we went through all these pains, that happened. It was not what we signed for. It's unfortunate, but it has happened. It is wrong to now put the blame on one group because it was a combination of errors and miscalculation that led to all this.

“On that morning, nobody expected that some senators would be in another place. So, to suggest that it was a desperate move that led to that is what l reject. As l said, if we had had the election of House of Representatives first, the same thing would have happened. But it has happened. In our own view, we will see how we move with it.”
Saraki admitted that the current situation in the upper chamber would make his work difficult, but promised to do his best to minimise the adverse effects.

On the widely held view that he shunned a meeting at the International Conference Centre called by his party to streamline its position before the election of the principal officers, Saraki said, “I didn't finish my meetings until about 4am that morning. I got information that efforts were being made to make sure that I didn't get access into the chambers. So as early as 4am or 5am, I had the contingency plan that by 8am, we would get to the National Assembly. But I was advised that it might not be safe for me, that if I wasn't in the chamber, it would be impossible for anybody to nominate me. So l had to find my own way, as l was in the National Assembly complex as early as 6am that morning. I stayed in my small car at the car park until quarter to 10am.

"It was at quarter to 10am that l got the information that the clerk had entered into the chamber. This is the gospel truth. I was there without any communication. Anybody that said he spoke to me was lying. I did not even know. All l was doing was to be monitoring how people were arriving. It was at quarter to 10 that l got the information that the clerk had entered into the chamber. So, l got out of my small car, stretched myself and put on my Babaringa and walked from the car park into the chamber. I didn't know anything. When l was in the chamber, the only thing l knew was that some of the senators were not present, but l noticed that people were arriving in batches. So, by 10am, the event started and before we knew it, my election had come and gone.

"Nobody in his wildest imagination ever thought that some senators would not be present on the day of inauguration. In my own view, I was not surprised about the outcome because I worked hard and was in touch with every senator. That is why l laugh when l hear that l struck a deal with Ekweremadu. I had worked so hard that l didn't need a deal.  I didn't need any deal with Ekweremadu to win because everybody was a senator. So, l was canvassing for their votes. Some of you would remember the meeting we had in NICON.

"It was because one was able to convince them that this is the person to lead us and had won the confidence of our colleagues. Looking at the way things turned out, l think there was the evidence of the hand of fate and destiny because sometimes l sit down and wonder how some of our colleagues found themselves at the International Conference Centre.”

Saraki said he had not met with Buhari since the imbroglio over the choice of principal officers of the federal legislature because “some of us as senators think that as a father, what he would want to see is reconciliation of the groups. He will want us to unite before meeting him as a united family, not group.”

On Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who is widely believed to be one of the hardest hit by the current state of affairs in the National Assembly, Saraki said he had a lot of respect for the APC national leader and pleaded that they should put the issues behind them.

He, however, denied insinuations that his emergence as senate president was a calculation towards the next general election in 2019.
Meanwhile, THISDAY gathered that the disagreements at the National Assembly might soon move to the critical organs of the ruling party. Though, members of the party’s National Working Committee were said to be unhappy with the losses and humiliation suffered by the party during the election of principal officers of the federal legislature, they seem to be divided on the approach to adopt in meting out punishment to erring legislators and restoring discipline to the party.

APC had on Thursday condemned what transpired at both chambers of the National Assembly and said a meeting of the party's national caucus, BoT and NEC, will be summoned in a few days’ time to deal with the crisis rocking the party.

However, a top leader of the party who spoke to THISDAY yesterday on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the issue, said the BoT might not be able to intervene soon because it was yet to elect its officers. He explained that it was after the presiding officers had emerged that the meeting of the BoT could be formally convened to attend to matters affecting the party.

According to the APC constitution, as amended in April 2014, the BoT is empowered to intervene in all disputes and crises in the party to ensure its stability at all times. The board is also to," Advise on, and when considered necessary initiate policies for the guidance of the party. Act as arbitrators and mediators in disputes and ensure the enforcement of discipline in accordance with the constitution of the party.

“It is to promote reconciliation, encourage and facilitate the settlement of disputes in an amicable manner among members of the party.”
The constitution empowers the party's NEC "to exercise control and take disciplinary actions on all organs, officers and members of the party and determine appeals brought before it by any member or organ of the party.”

Although the party has constituted its BoT, the body is yet to elect its principal officers.
It was gathered that there was an initial agreement, though unwritten and undocumented, that the chairmanship of the board would be reserved for the North-east and, ultimately, for Atiku as part of measures to carry the critical stakeholders along in the operations of the party.

However, a highly placed party source revealed to THISDAY that with the trend of events at the National Assembly, such arrangement might no longer stand, as some of the leaders seen as worst hit by the crisis are ready to jettison any formal agreements on allocation of positions.

Another contender to the BoT chairmanship post being thrown up is the former governor of Osun State and the erstwhile interim national chairman of APC, Chief Bisi Akande. Akande, now in his 70s, is said to enjoy the support of Tinubu.
But some of allies of Tinubu are also suggesting that he should jettison his national leader status, which is seen as clashing with that of Buhari, and fight for the BoT chairmanship seat.

Under the APC constitution, the chairman of the BoT must not come from the same zone as the president or national chairman. This leaves the position of the BoT chairman open for contest by four zones – North-east, North-central, South-west, and South-east.