Bukola Saraki is a new groom with many confusion, one who can’t sleep in his home with his new bride, neither can’t he visit his old home. His marriage of inconvenience with the APC has brought to him more trauma than relief, hence his many headaches.

There is no doubt that this time is not the best of time for the Senator representing the Kwara Central Senatorial District of the State, notwithstanding the fake and feeble voices that have been rented to chant “mukeso” praise for him. Though not many of his remaining political stewards is aware of this, but Bukola Saraki has become an embodiment of abatement in recent times. If the popular saying that he who wears the shoes knows where it pinches has any application here, I think that can best describe the situation that the dismantled Senator has found himself. The Senator is fighting for his political soul with so much tribulations to surmount. The evil of yesterday seems to be producing the nemesis for the Senator; he is merely and desperately working hard though with a twitter, to protect his skin from the ray of this political cancerous sunlight that he has inadvertently exposed himself to.

BACKGROUND ISSUES
The last one year or thereabout has been the toughest in the reign of the condescending ‘Governor-General’. Like puff of smoke, his political grip on all structures has diffused into the thin air (no wonder he has often been described as “tin-god” by his tin stewards). The usual authority he asserted both at home and at the federal level has diminished without sign of revival. Every rope he tied has been untied and the one he tried to untie has been strongly tied by his new political rivals who have given him more than a sophisticated challenge to show him that it’s not business as usual. It;s right for us to highlight some of these.

It is now a paradise fact that the Senator vehemently resisted and fought against the re-appointment of a Prof. Oba Abdulraheem as the Executive Chairman of the FCC, committing billions of Naira to work against first the re-nomination, and when that failed, against the approval by the Senate, which also failed. The sideline comment by the captain that diligently piloted the affairs of the Senate in the process of approving the nomination has fetched him (Bukola) his newest alias: ‘the local politician‘. It is also on record that the manner at which Bukola Saraki was forced out of the PDP goes contrary to his desire and long time hegemonic strategy, even though he publicly packaged himself in illusional make-ups, as if he is not hurt. Ilorin will say ‘eni ta na l’egba to ni ko dun ohun, ara e lowa’. Only a few of his inexperienced nollies will argue that his defection to the APC was done with sincere satisfaction from his heart of earth.

As if that is not enough, one other big blow to his famished strength was demonstrated when his party faithfuls attempted to but were chased out of the original PDP secretariat along Nupe Road, GRA, Ilorin. In the past, it will take a soothsayer from his trance to predict such would ever happen to Bukola in Kwara. Not even NairaBet will put such before it customers to bet on! Alas, these are not dreams but live events! There is no doubt that his defection to APC has further diminished his remaining political clout as the receiving members in the APC have handed him a manuscript of orderliness which he has to follow or reverse back to oblivion. This is definitely against his usual show of mightiness that he has demonstrated in the past. The facts are there and hardly contestable that the Senator has not been able to even gather together or designate who the party officials should be in the state, not just because the National Headquarters has not given the go ahead to do so, but because he has been resisted from imposing any.

As soon as that went by, the Senator once again tried to test his political water whether it’s still hot enough to burn a finger or has gone completely cold. Just recently, December, 2013 precisely, he openly canvassed for the candidature of one Prof. Saliu for the position of the Chairman of Ilorin’s most regarded socio-political group, IEDPU. The singular show of interest on this candidate gave the opponent an easy ride. In protest, the delegates voted the other way to prove to the falling Senator that his days of imposition are over.

HIS MANY HEADACHES, STRATEGIES, FAILURES AND NEMESIS
One will not expect that the tiger will let the hunters shoot him down without the use of his canines. However, how sharp and potent these canines are again are the questions. In struggling hard to survive this turmoil, the sweating Senator has deployed so many strategies to fight, both conventional and unconventional. Some of these, though, have not offered him any respite. Rather, they have been razing high like Australian wild fire, burning down his remaining relics and de-coloring his skin. Figuratively, we can all see the irremovable moles of political drought on his skin and his emaciated skeleton.

Just recently, he was spotted at a remote village close to Maiduguri, in the Boko Haram-ridden State of Borno State, ostensibly to consult a clergy for help. Impeccable source revealed that he was there courtesy of a prominent first class traditional ruler from the state and in company of the same traditional ruler. The fidgeting Senator was said to have been given a kind of concoction made from animal flesh, garnished with red fluid that looks like blood, to be used as arsenal against his “enemies”. No one, except this source ONLY can authoritative tell you that the repercussion of that arrow thrown at the imaginary “enemies” ricocheted back to the eldest male children of both Bukola and the traditional ruler. A mischievous mind may be quick to insinuate and ask: Could the strange ailments that struck these innocent kids be the nemesis of the actions of the duo?

Do I also need to remind us that the excuse given to the EFCC by Senator Bukola Saraki to seek for bail when he was arrested then by the Commission was that his son was attacked by strange ailment and he needed to attend to him?

In the same vein, on the 28th of December, 2013, a meeting of all the traditional rulers was called by the Senator and which was held at the Emir of Ilorin’s palace, by noon. However, the meeting didn’t start until about 12:30pm. The composition and the manner the meeting was scheduled raised the suspicion that it was more political than ‘traditional’. Only specific people were invited and it wasn’t opened to the media. Though, virtually all the 1st and 2nd traditional rulers that were invited were present, only Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed, Toyin Sanusi (the chief of staff to the Governor) and few other stealthy faces along with Bukola Saraki from government side were in attendance.One thought over the motive behind the call for this meeting on the part of the convener was egotistic belief that once he has the ears of the traditional rulers, he can boast of his coming back to political paradise. Though that is a thought that can best be described as merely a political hallucination. He didn’t waste time by showing the invited guests that he really meant business through presentation of big brown envelopes after the meeting (Please don’t ask me what is inside the enveloped). In his further scheme for rejuvenation, Bukola has equally directed the upgrading of all traditional rulers from various grades to higher grades. There is no gain saying in the fact that the Deputy Governor Peter Kishira has been directed to set up the committee that will look into the upgrading, an assignment that has been done and Hon. Wahab Issa appointed as the Chairman of the Committee.

What is not clear is how this “tips” can translate to victory for him. If the Oloffa (with profound respect) that he installed couldn’t convince the dogged and discerning Offa people to vote for his party in the last local government re-run election (though he rigged it). Why is he trying to bring down our referred traditional Institutions by setting the monarchs and the people on collision course?

In another development, in a defiant show of political maturity from the opposition in the state (as it stands now),while the meeting between Bukola’s team and the traditional rulers were going on, the entire nooks and cronies of the state capital was in standstill for hours. I understand PDP had its ward meeting at Ajikobi ward, which had in attendance Prof. Oba and other party members. The unprecedented mammoth crowd and the spontaneous political rally that greeted the ward meeting hurried Bukola and the traditional rulers to end their meeting ahead of time.It was reported that the Prof and his supporters were all over the town and were received with praises and prayers, even by by-standers.This is in addition to another similar rally that took place at Ajasse-Ipo on 30th December, 2013, where State PDP stalwarts like Senator Ajibola, Prof. Oba, among others were there to take a majestic walk.

APC had earlier scheduled similar ward meeting at the same Ajikobi ward in the evening of the same day PDP held theirs. However, seeing that the atmosphere was charged as people were ready to “repel” their visit to the area, the meeting was cancelled immediately.

In the same vein, few months ago, Senator Bukola Saraki called a caucus meeting and in attendance were his foot soldiers who he thought and had expected should have handled things better for him at home. He was blaming these hounds for not giving him the true state of things at the grassroots before things actually went out of hand. His furiousity and stone-face nonetheless, didn’t scare one Gani Cook from throwing a painful reply at him that; “If they hadn’t told him how bad the home is, he (Bukola) too hadn’t told them he was going to fight the Federal Government. Mr. Cook’s insinuation was that things actually degenerated when Bukola engaged in a war of ego, a war he can’t win against the Federal Government; ‘Eni awifun Oba je o gbo!’

Not satisfied with the local development, another inner caucus meeting has been fixed this time around in my backyard. Presently the state Governor is on a two-week leave to “rest”; though the real motive behind this is to perfect their strategies. In the next few days, the Senator, a prominent traditional ruler will join the Governor in London for this covert convergence. I’m going to update you on the outcome on their return.

HIS DILEMMA
It will be foolhardy for anyone to think Bukola Saraki has closed his doors to possible “go-back” to the PDP that he left in a hurry. Leaving PDP was one hell of a miscalculation for the Senator but wanting to lord his presence on the subsisting structure of the APC is more hell of a blunder. Let me not bother you on what transpired just recently between the Senator and the deciding members of the APC, but all I can tell you is that the tradition of the APC isn’t the same with the one the dude is coming from.

Though, some local and uninformed followers of the lawmaker will deny this, (if they even ever have the right knowledge about events), that Bukola has been making subtle moves and sending high powered stealthy delegation to the Presidency to allow him a second chance is a fact I challenge him to contest. His frustration is however compounded when the “contacts” at Presidency told him the door of reconciliation is locked and the key has been thrown into the big sea. As he was convalescing from this re-absorption refusal, he has been violently told by the real Jagaban of APC that he can’t even hand pick the executive members of the state; by tradition, the national headquarters must have input in who becomes the commissioners and SAs under the government of their party. We all know that the last thing anyone will do for the Senator is to dictate to him,not even his Governor can do that. If Baba 70 was alive, I would have sought his permission to sing his song; ‘…confusion beak bone!!!’

I have read a number of social media ranters and mere bootlickers who are playing down and under-estimating the implication of the rejection of Bukola by Dele Belgore and his followers into the fold. I have said this before that the failure of the national headquarters of the party to put into consideration the peculiar situation in the state before accepting the defectors application may be their albatross. The threat to leave the party by Dele has so far been treated with caution. Not even the poaching APC can attempt to trade a Dele for a Bukky. Their stuffs aren’t made of the same fabrics. Bukola’s problem isn’t just political, but lack of rectitude on his part.

Bukola has personally sent his front-line messenger, Sulaiman Maja to appeal to Dele not to leave the APC. It will not be long before we all know that a Dele leaving the APC (if he eventually does) is a big minus for a staggering Bukola.

Unknown to many, before now, Bukola has never won election without the “unsavoury” assistance of three key elements: (1) The federal might (through police), we all saw this in 2003 in his election against late Mohammed Alabi Lawal (may Allah be pleased with him); (2) INEC (conventional or unconventional) and indeed (3) the “good boys”. Worrisome for the worried Senator is the fact that, technically, he has lost all these former “team mates”. You can fill in the gap!

Before now,the Senator has been dancing in the comfort of judicial administrative bottlenecks with respect to his election petition/appeal brought against him by Alhaji LAK Jimoh before the Supreme Court. However, jitters were sent into the spine of the controversial Senator when information filtered in recently that the matter may be listed for hearing and judgement soon. Hitherto,the Senator was relaxed that due to the volume of work before the Supreme Court, there is no way the appeal will be decided before his term at the senate ends in 2015. If in 2014, the contrary happens, only God knows what tomorrow holds for the shivering Senator.

In Kwara State, like some other states with similar peculiarities, what will determine the result of the 2015 election isn’t the party, but the person. This has been demonstrated in the threat of defection by members from APC to any other “carrier”. A number of such party members have threatened and some have actually left, on the excuse that they can’t co-habit in the same ship with a Bukola in the same voyage. Suffix to say that people will vote on personality line and not the party. Therefore, the confusion within Bukola camp is who to pick to contest for what? Though, there are indications that the present Governor may get the ticket, having been dogmatically submissive to the heinous dictate of his master; yet again, this has however generated raised brows from within his own people. For instance, Atunwa Razaq (the current Speaker of the state House of Assembly) and Hon. Zakari Mohammed have shown similar interest in Maigida’s job. However, in Bukola’s inner mind, these are all featherweight that may end up beating the drum of celebration for his opponents especially if the PDP fields a more popular and credible candidate, a risk too dangerous to take.

There is also a debate within their camp that the sitting Governor is dwindling in popularity by day, so fielding him may be a disaster. The choice is theirs but the people have made their own choice – NO TO BUKOLA SARAKI and his CRONIES.

I challenge the Senator to prove me wrong if he has anything contrary to all I have said here.

CONCLUSION
I can’t end this piece without analyzing the possible options that are opened to the Senator. It has been insinuated that as desperate as the Senator is, a possible hiring of dangerous mercenery isn’t off his table. It has been reported that the remnants of the wide-chested mercenery “imported” from the far east in 2003 during Lawal’s election may be brought back again.

There is also the likelihood of Bukola rescinding all his earlier decisions and pitching his tent with those he childishly left (only that I don’t know what his capricious followers will say when that happens).

It is also possible he banishes himself from the political kingdom if he loses the election which is evident he has even lost.

May I submit that whatever decisions he takes, peaceful or violent, the people of the state are far more ready for him and the outcome will be a new Kwara without an old Bukola Saraki. We will not miss him!

Abubakar Baba Sulaiman wrote from Ilorin.