Saraki, Change And Sham, Our Collective Gains

ABDULLAHI O HARUNA HARUSPICE

No one should begrudge anyone who chooses to aspire to whatever interest. Everyone is born free to make choices that suit him or her, even twins grow up in different interests. I have never seen twins marrying same person. Like the last abode, we are confined to our a marked grave.

The president of the Nigerian Senate, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki has committed no crime with his decision to reseek refuge in the umbrella. His awaiting and last ambition in life is to be president of Nigeria, to attain this feat, he has stepped, tempered and crushed so many toes, in fact, he literally sent his father to political oblivion when he ‘defected ‘ to his sole interest. He shattered the Saraki dynasty to erect his own political empire. So, if Saraki can diss his own father who anointed him into the oil of politics, who is Muhammadu Buhari in the political estimation of Saraki?

Except we are trying to be politically naive, Saraki has never been an admirer of Buhari. It is an undeniable fact that is nakedly open for keen observers of political games. Saraki joined the All Progressive Congress when former president Goodluck Jonathan was hell-bent in seeking a second term. A win for Jonathan, Saraki reasoned would mean another win for Mr David Mark as Senate president, a position he badly desired. He joined the merger voyage and expectedly emerged as the 8th Assembly senate president.

And the chase for his presidential ambition was put in motion as schemes, alliances and permutations became his preoccupation. He was on a rollercoaster and he was prepared to crush anyone who tries to impede his ride to Aso Rock- his ultimate destination. His journey to the top office almost became an easy ride when the president fell badly to the menacing hands of nature. To save his life, Muhammadu Buhari sought refuge in the UK where he spent three months tendering to an excruciating health condition. The game plan was to slug it out with other political lightweights but nature showed mercy on Buhari as he bounced back with unmitigated vitality in health. Saraki’s expected duel with political lightweights was dashed with the return of heavyweight Muhammadu Buhari. And the road to Saraki’s presidency come 2019 became narrowed and bleak.

Not a man to be subdued by the rays of others, Mr Saraki plotted another graph of political survival. With a Muhammadu Buhari in APC, 2019 under the APC is akin to the camel passing through the eyes of the needle for Saraki. To be above the flood of tsunami Buhari, Saraki plotted an exit route and the People Democratic Party became his refuge as he returned prodigally to the house he deserted to achieve his political aspirations in the APC. Empirically, it is difficult to say Saraki left the APC because of political victimisation, no records show a frosty relationship between him and the president nor any party member. He defected to the People Democratic Party to pursue his age-long presidential ambition, an aspiration that is legitimate and constitutional.

Like popular Nigerian poet Odoh Diego Okenyodo succinctly opined, Saraki did not defect because of the absence of potable water, electricity, healthcare, security or jobs opportunities but to feather his political nest. In the long run, the change we yearned for is  still not change but a sham. Like yesterday, we are still stuck in the same place of take off.

Critically musing