THE kernel of thoughts in the mind of Dr. Bukola Saraki, the heir apparent to the Ilorin born maverick politician, Dr. Olusola Saraki, would not be radically different from how to cope with the politics of Kwara State, which his father doggedly controlled for about half a century.

Before Olooye’s death the dynasty had been covertly handed over to Bukola who at present is overtly referred to as the 'Leader’ by all categories of persons in the political circle irrespective of their age bracket.

However, since no major political decision has been taken within the political family since the exit of Olooye, it would be difficult for many political analysts to gauge the level of acceptability or otherwise of the leadership of Bukola.

By reasons of birth and achievements as the former Governor of the state, and now Senator representing Kwara Central Senatorial District, Bukola could be viewed as eminently qualified to lead his father’s empire. But would the kingdom continue a solid and an indivisible one, considering the human nature, individualistic ambitions and temperaments, remains a hanging question.

What is however factual is that even before the death of Olooye, there had been a generational change in the order of those elected to represent the people of the state. All the present serving members of the National Assembly in the state received the blessings of Bukola before their emergence as either Senators or House of Representatives members.

While Bukola would settle for the intellectually inclined candidates, his father would opt for representatives on compassionate grounds. It was believed that Saraki picked one of the deputy governors in the history of the state on his way to the farm! His style of politics fashioned after welfarism apparently made him unpopular among the academic minded Kwarans.

According to an Ilorin based legal practitioner who was an associate of the late politician, Chief Tunji Arosanyin, "Saraki did not have more than one house in Ilorin. He started by living in a two-room apartment but when he started receiving many visitors on constant basis than envisaged, we persuaded him on the need to expand the building in order to accommodate them.

"In 1979, Olooye had initially settled for Alhaji Ado Ibrahim as the governorship candidate of the old Kwara State flying the flag of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN). But he called me aside and a few other associates few weeks to the polls expressing his fears on Ibrahim, due to his status as a rich man. He said Ibrahim might not be able to take good care of the poor hence the need to look for an alternative candidate. The lot then fell on Alhaji Adamu Attah, who incidentally is an Ebira man like Ibrahim. So, Saraki was a friend of the poor, children, the widow and the aged."

Apart from Olooye’s philanthropic endeavours, he had a group of aged women who were always by him on any issue whether right or wrong. The leader of the group, Iya Sobalaje Eleran, who is in her 80s wept profusely on receiving the news of Saraki’s death. How Bukola would be able to 'marry’ these women and retain their relevance within the empire remains another knotty issue for him to untie. But Alhaji Kayode Yusuf, a foot soldier within the empire, said, "unknown to many people, our leader (Bukola) does not play with their issues. He feels for them just like his father and therefore I don’t see him having any problem in that respect."

Although Olooye was said to have resolved the feud between Bukola and his biological sister, Gbemisola, after the last governorship polls in the state, it is not known if the mutual trust and deeper level of love along the line of consanguinity and affinity would still be in existence.

It would be recalled that Bukola, citing morality, refused to support the governorship ambition of Gbemisola, himself having just completed two terms in office as the governor of the 45 years old state. Olooye, who described Gbemisola’s ambition as constitutional, headed her campaign under the platform of his newly floated party, Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) but could not withstand the superior powers of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state led by Bukola. Till date, despite Olooye’s public declaration of suspension of hostilities between the supporters of the ACPN and the state’s chapter of the PDP, some members of the ACPN still retain the symbol of the party and have resolved to use it as a continuous rallying point for Gbemisola’s political career.

For Bukola, he was yet to garner enough experience unlike his father in the areas of trust and betrayal in politics. Attah and the late Mohammed Lawal, (Kwara State Governor 1999-2003), had taught Olooye some bitter lessons in politics, trust and betrayals. In both, 'Olooye’ came out of them victorious.

But Bukola’s first experience is the incumbent Governor, Alhaji Abdulfatah Ahmed. Ahmed, a former Commissioner for Finance under Bukola succeeded Olooye’s son in office. Although many political analysts had predicted imminent fallout before the duo, citing the cases of Attah and Lawal, sources at the government house Ilorin told The Guardian that "the last thing that can happen between Ahmed and Bukola is crisis of any sort."

An area in which Bukola seems to have mastered perfectly in his father’s school of politics is his ability to promptly reconcile with his perceived political opponents. According to the state’s Secretary of the PDP Prince Yemi Afolayan, "in Kwara State today, those who sharply criticised our leader (Bukola) at the beginning of his tenure as the governor are today members of his father’s political empire. He hates politics of bickering. He will call for you if you are opposing him and explain to you the benefits of working together in peace and harmony."

Bukola has though, in the recent times, remained calm on his next political ambition come 2015. Sources, however, told The Guardian in Ilorin that he is desirous of gunning for the presidential slot in the next general elections. But one of his media aides, Akintoba Fatigun said, "my Oga knows what he wants not only for himself but also his people all over the nation. He alone, therefore, can decide on his next political agenda. Again don’t forget that he is still a senator representing his senatorial district; so he needs to be focused in order to complete well his present job."

As the people of the state continue to mourn the death of the political icon, including members of the opposition, it is left for time to tell if Bukola can manage the political empire of Olooye.