Last Saturday , a friend Olukayode, an International Human Rights Law graduate of the University of Notre Dame, engaged me in an interesting conversation, sometimes, going on without waiting for appropriate responses: “It’s dangerous for the SP [Senate President] to accept to work with President Muhammadu Buhari (PMB), again,” he began. ” I assure you it is very dangerous.
I tell you they will accept all conditions just to have SP. He should not, please”, he stressed, as if I had any influence over Saraki and could change his mind.
“Remember OBJ also begged and even prostrated for Atiku. The rest is now history,” Olukayode recalled. At this point, I interrupted to let him know I was still online. “God will show him the way. Let’s keep praying for him.” “Insha Allah,” he cut in rather impatiently, “We shall be rightly guided,” he said, reminding me about how close he was to Chief Bode George, a PDP chieftain. “I was very close to Bode George. He once told us how Baba had prostrated for Atiku and he [Bode George] felt like shooting Atiku, while Baba was begging him.
Till date, Atiku is still struggling to get out of the PR mess Baba put him. Once again, I pray Allah blesses us with his guidance and assists us to see beyond tomorrow,” he prayed. “Yes,” I concurred, adding, “may Allah guide Saraki and others to take the right decision at this critical moment of their political career.
Come to think of it, he took the risk in 2015 to leave PDP’s comfort zone to join and reform the APC. At the APC’s national convention in Lagos, Saraki put all kinds of personal and premordial sentiments aside to work for the emergence of the candidate Muhammad Buhari, which earned him the wrath of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Kwankwaso. In deciding who became Buhari’s running mate, Saraki also believed, and rightly so, that the level of religious animosity instigated by the then ruling PDP would not permit a Muslim/Muslim ticket. Expectedly, this also earned him the anger of some power brokers, who thought otherwise.
Without doubt, Bukola Saraki was a major factor and pillar of the APC campaign machinery, especially in terms of intellectual and logistic supports for the success of the party. But men will continue to be men. Soon after the rare electoral victory, men began their political machiavellianism. Self-acclaimed and presumed democrats turned despots. They swore not to allow Saraki enjoy the fruits of his labour by labelling him rebel and ridiculously, too, an armed robbery accomplice, recently!
Yet unperturbed, Saraki offered genuine opportunities for reconciliation so Nigeria can move forward. Curiously, those benefitting from the needless prolonged attrition would not let go, until now and coming after the highest court of the land, the Supreme Court, put a judicial end to the political humiliation of Saraki. Today, those who selfishly laid the judicial ambush are those seeking the elusive reconciliation they rebuffed for near three years.
While nothing equates peace, this move however provokes deep concerns as to its genuineness. Whether written or verbal, would this not be another landmine for Saraki as yet considering that the election year is around the corner?
Indeed, second-guessing this move seems plausible as politics and politicking in the interest of survival and re-election, will continue to take centre stage and naturally instigate actions and reactions, fuelled by strategies to gain control, regain lost grounds either by arm-twisting, blackmail, rapprochement, realignment, among other methods. As a keen follower of political trends, these developments qualify for sources of worry, especially as it is believed and quite curiously, too, that PMB, who had a penchant for sticking to his guns on any decision he has elected to take, is said to be willing to shift grounds, embrace discussions and negotiations towards resolving the three years cul-de-sac.
This, perhaps, is the dilenma of those skeptical of Saraki accepting the friendly whispers, arising in questions over whether or not, it is not yet another political booby trap for Saraki and the National Assembly. This is even more curious as the president is seeking National Assembly’s approval to spend, through INEC, over N242 billion on the 2019 elections. The fund, according to the President in his letter to the Senate, is to be provided either through supplementation or virement. It would appear the President was giving the Senate an opportunity to determine which of the two sources of funding they will approve, but reading down the lines, one gets the idea that the President tilts towards virement. And, strangely, virement can only be feasible from budgetary ‘insertions’ by the National Assembly to what the executive had proposed in the 2018 fiscal year budget.
To refresh our memories, the ‘insertions’ referred to by Mr. President were the constituency projects which the legislators had explained were needed by their constituencies to which the presidency objected. By and large, certain take aways have emerged from this section of the presidential transmission to the upper chamber. First, the confirmation of insinuations that the President would, always, want to have his way. The simple explanation is that this request for virement from the ‘insertions’ by the lawmakers, ‘in the national interest’ is a direct statement that since those projects were not proposed by the executive in the first instance, then, they are not in the national interest.
Who defines the national interest? Just the executive or in sync with other arms of government, especially the legislature? If the projects were not proposed by the executive, does that make them less in the national interest? Are the beneficiaries of such projects not Nigerians? Are they not voters? Are they not entitled to benefit something from their country? Why were representatives elected to the National Assembly? As robber stamps?
The second fact from the letter is the subtle blackmail of the federal legislators. Read this: “…As you are aware, the 2019 general election is scheduled to be conducted early in 2019. To ensure that adequate arrangements are made for free and fair election, it has become necessary to appropriate funds to enable relevant agencies commence preparations. Accordingly, I invite the distinguished senate to consider, in the national interest, relocating some of the funds appropriated for the new projects which were inserted into the 2018 budget proposal totalling N 578, 319, 951, 904 to cover the sum of N228, 854, 800, 205 required as noted above.”
Now, another question might arise: what if the lawmakers refuse the request? Perhaps, they would be painted to look like working against ‘national interest’, against the provision of adequate arrangements to ensure ‘free and fair election’! And, of course, this line of the letter is a strong campaign issue against the lawmakers, who, themselves, are politicians and want to come back to their various offices. So, it is only short of tipping off to, as they say, eat the humble pie, accept the proposal and who loses? The people!
And come to think of it, why couldn’t the election budget be part of the overall national budget? We all knew from January that INEC would conduct election in 2019 and would need to start preparations from 2018. Why bring a supplementary proposal for the agency in July? Didn’t they know what they would be spending as far back as 2017? This perfectly explains my fears in this latest moves by the presidency.
Again, why do the security agencies need fresh funding after what has been captured in the 2018 budget? We need to ask questions around this issue, too, because there is so much opacity surrounding security budgets, and, as the saying goes, politicians are the same, only their slogan differs. Therefore, to what extent can anyone trust these ‘executive insertions’?
Really, with 2019 campaigns staring us in the face with all clear political interests and fireworks, friends: Is Mr President genuinely ready for reconciliation? Should Saraki abandon the struggle mid-way, especially when the arsenals have been assembled and awaiting detonation? How about the alliances and coalitions? It is all quite confusing, but one can only pray God to direct our leaders right.
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