A week after the Presidential and National Assembly elections, the exercise has continued to dominate political discourse within and outside the country.
Although about eight out of the 109 senatorial seats contested have remained inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), sitting senators and governors lost out in their bid to get seats in the upper legislative chamber.
As it stands, the Ninth Senate will get 15 ex-governors as senators, even as the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) look set to retain control of the apex legislative chamber with over 60 senators.
The National Assembly election could be regarded as a tsunami. It swept away political gladiators like Senate President, Bukola Saraki; immediate past Senate Minority Leader, Godswill Akpabio; former Benue State Governor and Chairman, Senate Committee on Army, George Akume; human rights activist and Chairman, Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, Shehu Sani; Senate Minority Leader, Biodun Olujimi. Other casualties include: Binta Masi, Andy Uba, Rafiu Ibrahim, Tayo Alasoadura, Victor Umeh, Mao Ohuabunwa, among others.
The tsunami also claimed Saraki’s allies and anointed PDP candidates in the remaining two senatorial districts as well as all of the House of Representatives seats across the state.
There are already fears in Saraki’s camp that the party’s poor outing at the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections could have a domino effect on their fortunes in the forthcoming Governorship and State Assembly elections.
In what political commentators say could end his political career, the Senate President who doubles as Director-General, PDP Presidential Campaign Council could not deliver his local government and state to PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Although bookmakers had tipped the likes of either Saraki, Akume or Akabio as possible Senate President in the Ninth Senate, the defeats have proved them wrong.
Akume was defeated by his estranged political godson, Orker Jev – a member of the House of Representatives.
Having survived many political battles including his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT) over corruption charges, plots by the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to remove Saraki as Senate President and his face-off with the immediate past Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, not many had predicted that he would be unseated by his former loyalist like Ibrahim Oloriegbe, a former Majority Leader of the Kwara State House of Assembly.
Political pundits say one of the lessons to be learnt from the exercise is never to underestimate anyone in politics. They cited the defeat of Saraki, Akume, Akpabio and other political bigwigs to back up their argument.
Like a thunderbolt, the nation’s Number Three Citizen’s political structure in Kwara State was uprooted by the ‘O to ge’ (enough is enough) revolution mantra led by Information Minister, Lai Mohammed.
Having served as Special Assistant on Budget to former President Olusegun Obasanjo from Year 2000 to 2003, Kwara State Governor from 2003 to 2011 and senator from 2011 till date and his party’s loss at the Presidential election, the development means that this would be the first time the medical doctor-turned politician will be left without holding any political office in Nigeria in the last two decades.
But the Senate President has alleged that the election was fraught with irregularities including multiple voting, over-voting and other discrepancies that were reported by agents of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) across the state.
In a statement signed by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, he said that while the election was generally peaceful, there were inadequacies like the smart card readers not used in over 70 percent of the Polling Units.
“However, whatever the final outcome of the election, I wish the candidates that have emerged all the best in their attempts to serve our people. It is my prayers that the good people of Kwara State will always have the best from any government both at state and federal levels.
“As a product of a family and a political structure that is, from its foundation, devoted to the service and development of our state and its people, it is my wish that our people will always have a good deal at all times. The new development will even provide the people the opportunity to compare and contrast. After all, the people who have emerged from last Saturday’s election are not my enemies. They are fellow Kwarans.
“As we prepare for the March 9, 2019 Governorship and House of Assembly elections, let me reiterate my position that the candidates of the PDP in the election represent the best materials for our dear State, Kwara. Therefore, I enjoin our people to come out en masse on Election Day and vote for them. I am going to work with our party leaders to further sell the PDP candidates to the general public.”
According to him, “I thank all Nigerians for their goodwill and to enjoin all of us that as we patiently await the outcome of the Presidential election, we pray for peace, unity and genuine development in our country. It is also our prayers that at all times, the wish of the people will always prevail in the choice of the leadership and the electorate will always enjoy the benefit of good governance”, Saraki stated.
In a chat with BDSUNDAY, a political analyst, Benjamin Usigbe, submitted that with an end to the Saraki political dynasty, coupled with his failure to secure return ticket, it has thrown up new sets of political leaders.
These, he listed, to include: Minister of Information, Lai Mohammed; APC governorship candidate, Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman and senator-elect Ibrahim Oloriegbe. According to him, others include: Yinka Aluko, Moshood Mustapha, Cook Olododo, Yahaya Seriki, Abdulyekeen Alajagusi.
Usigbe explained that with this development, APC will be the happier for it, Saraki having been a thorn in the flesh of the ruling party.
“APC will heave a sigh of relief on two grounds. First, it will be in clear majority in the Ninth Senate and produce the next Senate President. Secondly, the legislative chamber will not have the likes of Saraki to contend with. Recall that the party had not hidden its disdain for Saraki for anti-party activities when he was still with them”, he said.
For other losers like Akume and Akpabio, pundits say they could be compensated by President Muhammadu Buhari.
“Their wound is not as grievous as that of Saraki,” a pundit said.
OWEDE AGBAJILEKE, Abuja
