“Buhari-Saraki Feud: APC Leaders Jittery, Fear Mass Defection”

The leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is worried stiff by the lingering crisis between the executive and legislative arms of the Federal Government controlled by the party.

They fear that a mass defection of some top members of the party might be looming. Many of the party leaders are worried that the APC might be going the way of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the days of former President Goodluck Jonathan, when the then Speaker of the House of Representatives and now Governor of Sokoto State, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, jumped ship from the PDP to the APC. That was also when five serving governors of the PDP, namely, Rotimi Amaechi, Aliyu Wamakko, Abdulfatah Ahmed, Muritala Nyako and Musa Kwankwaso of Rivers, Sokoto, Kwara, Adamawa and Kano states respectively, abandoned the then ruling party and joined forces with members of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) to form what is now known as the APC.

Those moves left the PDP in disarray, which it never recovered from till date. With the current posture of the Senate and a resolution passed by the House of Representatives, warning the executive against hounding the legislators, many in the APC are worried that the party might soon recreate the Tambuwal scenario if breaks were not pulled on the lingering crisis.

Leaders of the party are worried that if the Senate President, Bukola Saraki decides to confront the APC and cross over to the PDP or any other upcoming party, he would not only tilt the Senate in favour of the PDP by the number of other APC Senators that might follow him, he would also do a heavy damage with some governors and party leaders who are sympathetic to his cause.

Already, it was learnt that discussions are ongoing between some disgruntled members of the APC and their PDP counterparts on either the formation of a new party completely or an alliance that would see a mass defection from the APC. Also, there are accusations and counter-accusations between the Ali Modu Sher- iff camp and the Ahmed Makarfi Committee in the PDP of working for a chieftain of the APC in 2019.

New Telegraph learnt that the APC hierarchy is disturbed that its members, who head the two arms of government, are yet to close ranks and work as a team more than a year after the party was elected into power. A chieftain of the APC who revealed the worries of the party leadership, said the party was running out of time and risks rejection at the next general elections, except it puts its house in order and deliver on its promises to the people.

The source, who pleaded anonymity over possible sanction by the party, however told New Telegraph that the APC national leadership was looking for a political solution to resolve the crisis even as he blamed the wrangling on interest and the executive’s interference in the affairs of the legislature.

Saraki, who is a member of the ruling party, is being prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) for alleged false declaration of assets as well as facing another trial at the Federal High Court alongside his deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP over alleged forgery of the Senate rules.

The Senate President has pleaded not guilty to both charges and many had expected that the party hierarchy would step in and possibly broker an out-of-court settlement as Saraki has persistently claimed that politics was responsible for his ordeal.

But the rift has continued to fester and is assuming a more dangerous dimension. During the last Ramadan period, President Muhammadu Buhari had hosted different classes of people, including party leaders, business moguls, physically challenged persons and friends of the government, among others. But his planned breaking of fast with members of the National Assembly and their leaders was cancelled for no known reasons.

While the presidency held that the dinner was just postponed, sources at the National Assembly said that the legislators simply refused to attend, owing to what they perceived as the persecution of Saraki and Ekweremadu.

Similarly, the Senate has stalled the confirmation of the list of ambassadorial nominees submitted by the president on the pretence that some states were not represented on the list and some other irregularities that ranged from promotion of junior officers above senior one to other sundry issues.

The Senate rather invited the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Mr. Babachir Lawal, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Geoffrey Onyeama, to appear before it this week.

There have been hot exchanges of words between the Senate President, his deputy and the Presidency in the past one month, with accusations and rebuttals that the country was sliding into dictatorship. Decrying this development, a member of the National Assembly added that the crisis, which has made the people to perceive the APC as not ready for governance, was being worsened by the delay in the implementation of the 2016 Budget. According to him, implementation of the budget is unlikely to commence until November due to bureaucratic issues.

He said: “The leadership of the APC is worried that the lack of cohesion by the party’s elected members are still leaning on their old party blocs, which have practically made it impossible to see themselves as members of one family.

“You will recall that APC is a merger of various interests ahead of the 2015 elections, but having won the presidential election as well as the majority in both houses of the National Assembly, many had expected that the various interests would have closed ranks by now and work as team to deliver the promises the party made to Nigerians during the campaigns for the last elections.

“This development is a source of worry for the party leadership, although it is putting measures in place to resolve it so that the party can focus on governance and deliver on its promises. The fear is that we are running out of time, even as the nation’s earnings have drastically dropped due to the fall in oil prices at the international market.”

On Saraki’s prosecution, the source said while the belief is that the APC is hounding him because he defied the party’s leadership to emerge as President of the Senate, it should be noted that the present administration has persistently said that its war against corruption is total.

His words: “I agree that politics is a game of interest. So, I cannot dismiss those who are saying that the Senate President is being persecuted because he defied the APC leadership during the election for presiding officers of the Senate, but one thing we must bear in mind is that the present administration has never pretended that there would be no sacred cows in the fight against corruption.”

Forgery: Courts’ vacation stalls Saraki, Ekweremadu’s trial
Suit Adjourned To September 28
The alleged forgery trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, and two others before an Abuja High Court was yesterday stalled due to the commencement of the 2016 vacation of the judiciary.

The Federal Government is prosecuting Saraki, Ekweremadu, former Clerk of the National Assembly, Salisu Maikasuwa and the clerk of the Senate, Benedict Efeturi on a two count charge bothering on conspiracy and forgery of the Senate Standing Rules. The court had, at the last adjourned date, fixed yesterday for commencement of trial, after all the defendants had pleaded not guilty and admitted to bail.

Yesterday, when the matter was scheduled to commence, it could not go on due to the commencement of the annual vacation of the court. The nation’s judiciary is always on vacation between July and August of every year, to come back September and commence a new legal year. Saraki and other defendants were, however, in court, but left as soon as they were told that the matter would not go on.

Counsel in the matter, after brief meeting, later agreed to come back on September 28 when the court would have resumed for a new legal year. Meanwhile, the Federal Government has appointed a new counsel, Aliyu Umar (SAN) to lead the prosecution team.

Umar, who was a former Attorney General of Kano State, is taking over from the Director of Public Prosecution (DPP), Mohammed Diri, as the leader of the team. In the charge, Maikasuwa was listed as the first defendant, while Efeturi, Saraki and Ekweremadu are second to fourth defendants respectively. In the Statement of Offence under count 1 of the charge, it reads, “Criminal Conspiracy, contrary to Section 97 of the Penal Code Law”.

The charge sheet, dated 10th June 2016 was signed by D.E Kaswe Esq., Principal State Counsel on behalf of the Attorney-General of the Federation and backed by an Affidavit of Completion of Investigation deposed to at the Federal High Court Registry, Abuja on the same date by Okara Neji Jonah, a Litigation Officer at the Federal Ministry of Justice, Abuja.

Listed as witnesses in the suit, which has been assigned to Hon. Justice Yusuf Haliru for hearing are, Senators Othman Hunkuyi, Ahmed Lawan, Abdullahi Gumel, Kabiru Marafa, Robert Boroffice, Gbenga Ashafa, and Abu Ibrahim, all members of the Senate Unity Forum (SUF), the group of Senators that pushed unsuccessfully for the election of Lawan as the Senate President.

Other witnesses include former Chairman, Senate Committee on Rules and Business, currently Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang; Deputy Inspector-General of Police (DIG) in charge of FCIID, Dan’Azumi Doma, and Special Adviser to the President on Political Matters, Senator Ojudu Babafemi. The suit was sequel to a petition to the former Inspector- general of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase by the SUF signed by Hunkuyi and dated June 30, 2015.

Source:- Newtelegraphonline