The trial of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki at the Code of Conduct Tribunal which is rumoured to be as a result of a power tussle within the All Progressives Congress may end up costing the ruling party its leadership of the Senate.
According to political analysts, the current trial of Bukola Saraki may cause the ruling party a colossal loss which may see the opposition party, PDP take over the Senate.
Since the trial began in earnest, stakeholders and political pundits have been brainstorming on the possible fallout from the planned replacement of Saraki by his antagonists in the Presidency, as well as in the ruling All Progressives Congress. The pundits are of the firm view that the opposition People's Democratic Party, with a sizeable number of lawmakers in the Senate, may be the biggest beneficiary.
As of today, APC has 57 Senators, while the PDP has 46. Six seats, with three in Rivers, one in Imo, another one in Anambra and one in Kogi states are still pending. If the PDP is able to secure these vital seats, they would move closer to clinching the coveted seat if Saraki is eventually convicted and removed.
One of the observers, Dan Ojo, who spoke to a Daily Sun correspondent, said the PDP missed a golden chance during the inauguration of the 8th Senate. According to him, former Senate President, David Mark, would have been able to secure the seat if the PDP was desirous of the position. Mr. Ojo predicted that if the Presidency and APC leaders do not tread with caution in their renewed desperation to oust Saraki, Nigeria may go the way of the United States of America where the opposition Republican Party is in control of the Congress.
Ojo said: “The PDP may be in the opposition, but they still know how to be smart. For me, I think that they missed a golden opportunity during the inauguration of the Senate. They had about 49 members also. They also had people in the APC who were ready to support them. They should have cashed in on the crisis in APC to vote Mark in as president for the third time. I am sure they realised that late and that was why they quickly supported Ike Ekweremadu as Deputy Senate President.
“If the elections in Rivers, Imo, Anambra and Kogi should go as planned, PDP will end up having more than 50 Senators and you know what that means. Even without the prompting of the Presidency or the APC, PDP will make an attempt to take over the Senate. This is a possibility and people must be aware. The APC should not be in a hurry to return PDP to power by their own hands. This is my candid advice.
“One more thing. President Muhammadu Buhari cannot afford to have PDP take over the leadership of the National Assembly.
Look at what happened when former president Goodluck Jonathan allowed it and Aminu Tambuwal defected to APC. That largely affected him. President Barack Obama has been having issues dealing with the Congress, which is under the control of the Republicans. They must be careful.”
With the trial of Saraki at an advanced stage and rerun National Assembly elections almost concluded across the country, new twists and dimensions of what to expect in the event that Saraki is booted out, will surface. For now, like spectators in a movie, Nigerians will have to sit back and enjoy the play.
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