If the report by the Punch newspaper of Sunday, August 23, 2015 that the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki, had been reaching out to mend any broken fences with President Muhammadu Buhari and the former Governor of Lagos State, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is true, then it is something to be commended and encouraged.

Although one wonders what the report wanted to achieve with the title- “Saraki eats the humble pie, reaches out to Tinubu”, I think that whether it is Saraki that is reaching out to Tinubu or it is Tinubu that is reaching out to Saraki to ensure that Babatunde Fowler, the President’s nominee for the Federal Inland Revenue Service job, scales the Senate hurdle, fence-mending is a mature and godly imperative in the All Progressives Congress (APC) now. At least, that is how those of us that are no party men, but stand to benefit from good governance, see it.

The APC is in a situation where the more you point one finger at another, the more the remaining four fingers will point back at you, for there is enough blame pie to go round. Multiple mistakes have been made and to scapegoat a few persons would serve no purpose.
For instance, the party threw the race to the various National Assembly leadership positions open whereas it could have resolutely zoned them ab initio. That way, it would have been easier to, in good conscience, release the hammer on the heads of defaulters.
If President Buhari had also declared his preferred team for the positions, things could probably have been different. But, his official position was that he was very much prepared to work with whichever leadership team enthroned by the lawmakers.

It was a democratic and wise decision, no doubt. Leaderships enthroned by Members themselves have lasted, while those imposed from outside are often recipes for instability. They don’t often last. Count from 1999 to date. Nevertheless, it could have been politically correct at the same time to assert himself a bit, especially when things started getting out of hand. For instance, amidst walkout staged by Dogara’s camp and boycott by Senator Saraki’s supporters in protest of what they perceived as an ambush and predetermined straw poll, silence was the loud answer from the President because he didn’t want to be seen as meddlesome. But he alone had the weight and respect to call the errant party leaders and lawmakers to order and ensure that everyone was fairly treated and the processes transparent.

In fact, it would not have been a bad idea to stage a strong lobbying initiative or invite the aspirants to declare his preferences and then solicit the understanding and support of the rest aspirants. But the only intervention credited to him was the controversial meeting at the International Conference Centre in the morning of the inauguration of the 8th National Assembly, which many still insist was just a case of name-dropping.

Furthermore, but for the President’s body language in refusing to meet with Senator Saraki so far, the general feeling among PDP and some APC faithful was that the quest to foist Ahmad Lawan et al on the National Assembly was totally a Bola Tinubu project. Lawmakers, true to their nature, rose in defence of the independence of the legislature, especially considering how the Lagos State House of Assembly was used to cage Babatunde Fashola. Some Reps still say that Hon. Gbajabiamila could probably have won had he run as Femi Gbajabiamila, and not as Tinubu or anyone else’s acolyte.  As in Tambuwal’s case, they wanted a Speaker they could call their own.

The APC should also have known that they were just one of the parties represented at the National Assembly; that   the minority do not just have a constitutional say on who becomes the Senate President, Deputy Senate President, Speaker, and Deputy Speaker, but they also have the right to vie for any of the positions. This would have guided them in properly weighing the implications of their slim majority in the Senate and also in adopting more acceptable candidates.

Without prejudice, Ahmed Lawan’s candidacy had “K leg” from the outset. His views on national issues like the Petroleum Industry Bill and insurgency, etc. on the floor, during committee works, and media interviews portrayed him to his southern colleagues as a regional and religious bigot.  So, attempts by his foot soldiers in both the APC and PDP at selling his candidature to the PDP caucus where 32 of the 49 PDP Senators hail from South East and South South met a brick wall. Again, expecting the 32 Senators to vote for an all-north senate presidency of Senators Lawan and Akume was a big miscalculation. The propaganda that Senator Saraki was adopted by the PDP simply because he was a former member of the party is what it is- propaganda. Saraki was rather perceived as cosmopolitan and urbane.  Also, PDP is an opposition party; it could have been foolhardy for the APC to expect them to endorse candidates allegedly imposed by it. The elements that make up the APC did it with Tambuwal in 2011.

Indeed, the APC made and still appears to be making the mistake of not being magnanimous in victory, which is compelling either by choice or by the political exigencies of PDP’s number in the Senate. Otherwise, the current bi-partisan leadership scenario in the Senate should have been APC’s initiative to promote smooth governance, balance, and national reconciliation after a rancorous general election. Only a few like Senator Sani Umar seem to appreciate this point.

I stare in bewilderment each time some party leaders and Senators of the APC argue that part of the President’s grouse was that Senator Saraki emerged with PDP support, while Senator Ike Ekweremadu emerged as the Deputy Senate President. But, didn’t Senator Lawan   unsuccessfully seek PDP’s votes?

If the rumour is true, then those who have the President’s ears must have just been misadvising and regaling him with what they stand to lose as individuals rather than what his administration stands to gain with a PDP Deputy Senate President in a chamber where the APC leads with meagerly nine seats, and where APC caucus is in shambles.

Besides, quotable quotes of Buhari and the APC as recently reproduced by a columnist show that both Buhari and the APC are fans of bi-partisan leadership in the legislature before now. Buhari reacted to Tambuwal’s defection from PDP to APC this way: “We will like to thank Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal for what he did yesterday. We were overwhelmed. Taking such a remarkable risk and sending everybody on holidays till December is an achievement”.

Alhaji Lai Muhammed, the party’s National Publicity Secretary announced to the media: “I must say that this historic development means that our democracy is growing by the day and it is dynamic…. We think that having the head of the legislature from the opposition party makes for a balanced setting in government and it’s good for democracy. Those who are saying this has not happened before and that Tambuwal should step aside as Speaker do not have the backing of history and the constitution”.

Hon. Gbajabiamila who was the leader of the opposition in the House at the time concurred as follows: “We are proud to acknowledge that the Speaker remains not only a Member of the House of Representatives, but also it’s Speaker. This position is consistent with the law and practice in a presidential system of government and Nigeria is no different. For the avoidance of doubt, the Constitution requires only that the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives shall be elected by members of that House from among themselves”.

Integrity includes defending the principle you believe in, both when it favours you and when it doesn’t. And the whole world knows that President Buhari is a man of integrity.
Meanwhile, this piece is not about apportioning blames. It is rather about stating the obvious- that mistakes have been made by stakeholders and that it is in the interest of the APC and Nigeria for the warring parties to end the blame game and sheath their swords.   There is time for everything, say the Holy Scriptures- a time to tear down and a time to build… a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them… a time for war and a time for peace.

Therefore, although the Saraki media desk is yet to affirm or deny the report on the peace efforts by Senator Saraki, it is a move most imperative. Peace-building is not a sign of weakness. It takes real men. Thus, it rather portrays him as a man who can bend backwards in national interest.  Under some former Senate President between 1999 and 2007, the Senate would have instantly reciprocated Buhari’s alleged refusal to see its leaders by either sitting on or throwing out the President’s requests and nominations like the Service Chiefs. After all, it is an independent arm of government with financial autonomy. But, this Senate and its leadership wouldn’t do any such thing. Commendable.   

However, peace thrives on reciprocity. The humble pie shouldn’t be for Senator Saraki alone, but for all the gladiators to eat, even if for the sake of the Nigerian masses. After all, these gladiators would never go hungry in their lifetime, whether or not there is peace in the APC and National Assembly. And what is mainly at stake are ego and political relevance. But, for the overwhelming majority of the Nigerians, what is at stake is their next meal, which they are unsure it would ever come or where it would come from.

Mr. President needs to be reminded that at the end of the day, the next four or eight years will only be referred to as President Muhammadu Buhari Administration. It is he, not those beating the drums of war that will take all the glory and all the blame.  We can see that the Jonathanians have vanished into the thin air with many defecting to the APC. The President must succeed.