Date: 2016-04-15

The Friday 5th of February, 2016 Supreme Court judgment on the issue of Senate President, Bukola Saraki's case at Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) got me thinking about the hey days of his administration as the executive governor of Kwara State in 2003.

The thought also brought back to my memory the episode that led to the exit of late Mohammed Lawal as the governor of Kwara State and the emergence of Bukola Saraki as his successor. This episode is a fairy tales to remember by Kwarans who witnessed this period. It is better not remembered, and therefore consigned to history.

However, it was a fact that when Saraki took over from governor Lawal, he set up a panel of enquiry to investigate all Lawal's activities as the governor with a view of finding lapses and fraudulent activities, ostensibly that were perpetrated during his tenure either by him or his associates in order to indict him and probably prosecute him.

The investigation was thorough and intimidating that left no aspect of Lawal's government untouched. Starting from reversal of the appointment of permanent secretaries; to the reversal of the up-grading of traditional rulers; to the reversal of creation of 20 additional local government areas, which passed through all the constitutional laid down procedures; to the sacking of over 5000 lawfully employed citizen of the state; to the forceful collection of over 100 commercial vehicles given out as poverty alleviation programme to people across the 16 local government areas. The chief collector of the vehicles later used them to start his own transport business, revocation and reallocation (to his own people) and allocation of the 250 units of three bedroom at Irewolede constructed by Lawal all in the name of looking for loopholes to hang him.

It did not end there; he still went ahead to probe all contracts awarded by the administration. The borehole projects, the cottage hospitals, the viewing centers, the water project, which includes the construction of Up Kwara Reservoir Tanks in strategic locations in the state capital.

The issue was even referred to the EFCC by Saraki for investigation. The report of EFCC eventually exonerated Lawal of any discrepancy in the project, in fact, the report commended him for doing a quality job with the project and at a lower price.

The most dramatic of all the accusation was the purchase of the five of his official cars as stipulated by the law, which allows the outgoing governor to buy out of his official cars when leaving office. Bukola Saraki alleged Lawal of stealing the vehicles even when he was fully aware that he actually paid for the vehicles.

Saraki, in his usual self, blew it out of proportion and awash the press with the news of car theft by Lawal all in the name of political vendetta. The case got messier and was dragged to the then president, Olusegun Obasanjo who intervened in the matter pleading with Lawal to return the vehicles for peace to rein. The late governor obliged and returned the vehicles. Saraki was even reluctant to return the cheque of Five Million Naira paid for the cars.

Another celebrated issue that unfolded during this period was the issue of SUBEB where a recorded video was released to the press showing movement of money with a golf car, making it look like a loot though the video did not show us where the money was moved to and where and who the supposed loot was meant for.

All the people that served in Lawal's government were being persecuted and harassed by police or EFCC all in the name of looking for a way to indict him.

In spite of all these persecutions, Lawal and his associates were exonerated and nothing incriminating was found to indict him or any of his associates. The man eventually died a hero in 2006.

In what look like the real intention of the Saraki's government, a poster was made with Lawal's picture in handcuff and pasted in all the nooks and crannies of the state capital.

With all these intimidations and harassments, Lawal remained calm and refused to be drawn into war of words till his demise but with that calmness, it is logical to assume that he was wishing Saraki what he wished him.

That may not be too far from the fact because with the latest Senate President's ordeal with the code of conduct tribunal, one will not but amazed that someone who was chasing his predecessor could have almost at the same time perpetrating how he will defraud the state pretending to be protecting from Lawal in 2003.

Subsequent events that unfolded during his eight years tenure said much about his sincerity with the common man in the state. All the projects he embarked upon left more doubt in the minds of kwarans than that of Lawal. The Shonga Farm project with over 1 billion naira of the state was expended on some foreigners from Zimbabwe or South Africa.

Today, no one can point to one single benefit the project brought to the state. The bridge constructed in the post office area was even more of a problem to the people, not to think of the amount it gulped or millions of kwarans money sunk in to the reticulation of water pipe, which did not see the light of the day or why do we still experience acute water shortage in the state today? Or the planting of flowers with a lot of money when ordinary people in the state could not even afford 3 square meals in a day. Construction of cargo shield at the airport, aviation college and football academy were not bringing in the expected income or how do we explain the present economic situation where the state do not have money to pay salaries and reeling in debt?

As if that was not enough, at the twilight of his administration in 2011, he hurriedly made his rubber stamp house of assembly to pass an obnoxious law allowing him to enjoy certain benefit as he was leaving the seat. The content of the bill was that the state government will build a house each for him in Ilorin and Abuja, buying of cars for him, paying for his medical bills, enjoy monthly allowance package worth 100 million naira etc.

One will now be wondering why someone who was chasing his predecessor for just 5 cars arranged this kind of benefits for himself.

When the issue of Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) came up in June last year after he became the senate president, I was of the opinion that it was only a political blackmail and that he will just walk in there and explain things. But when he first refused to appear and started jumping from one court to another, I began to wonder if it could be true. When he was finally docked in a live broadcast, someone called me and asked me if am watching. Then it was dawn on me that this was exactly what Saraki had wished to do for Lawal back in 2003. Really, what comes around goes around.

The Supreme Court's judgment has given the senate president the opportunity to clear his name once and for all just like Late Lawal did when he was being chased by the senate president. If the judgment had been the other way, he may not get the opportunity to prove his innocence. My advice to him is to stand for the trial and tell the whole world and doubting Thomases like me that he is not guilty. Finding political solution may not clean his soiled reputation.

Yusuf, is Assistant Publicity Secretary of Kwara State Chapter of Peoples Democratic Party.