Nigerian
Times authoritatively reports that Senate President,
Bukola Saraki has returned to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). According
these reports monitored out of Abuja, Saraki is said to have met with the PDP caucus
at the Abuja home of his deputy in the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu at the Apo Legislative Quarters. After the meeting, Ike
Ekweremadu, Deputy Senate President, led a group of senators to immediate Past President
Goodluck Jonathan’s Maitama home to brief him. It is not yet clear what the
final decisions are on the matter.
Nigerian
Times reports a source that was at the meeting as saying
that Saraki, who has faced persecution from the leadership of his party, the
All Progressives Congress (APC) decided to leave the party and return to the
PDP, which he left in 2014 with five PDP Governors. It is now of public
knowledge in Nigeria that Saraki who has been facing prosecution at the Code of
Conduct Tribunal for falsely declared assets now believes he is being
persecuted by his party APC.
There are very clear indications that Saraki wants
to use the PDP as a platform to actualize his yet undeclared ambition. It is
also speculated that Saraki is likely to take with him to the PDP, some APC
Senators loyal to him. If that happens, it would affect the balance of power in
the Senate as the PDP would most likely upturn the APC’s majority in the Red
Chambers. These are really interesting times indeed for the Senate President
and Nigerian politics.
“Saraki has finally had it with the APC and the
Buhari government. He believes he has faced enough embarrassment and
persecution from them after his investments to help the party wrest power from
the PDP, ” the paper reports.
Recently, the Senate President was in Sokoto, on the
pretext of commiserating with the family of late Umaru Shinkaffi. But sources
familiar with the Saraki’s travails told Nigerian
Times that he met with the Sultan of Sokoto to prevail
on President Mohammadu Buhari to pull back his loyalists who are bent on
sending Saraki to jail. Details of that meeting are not yet in public domain. Presently,
no one doubts in Nigeria that Saraki is in the battle of his life for political
survival if not even his life. Returning to PDP appears to be a last ditch effort
particularly now that the party stalwarts in APC appear hell bent on ruining
him politically. The coming days and weeks appear to be very promising for this
epic political battle playing out before our eyes.
