The emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate president may have set the stage for the implosion of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ).
Spokesman, Lai Mohammed, earlier today described the development as shocking. He also expressed surprise at the boycott of the meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the International Conference Center by Senators loyal to Saraki.
Saraki led a group of renegade senators who defied Buhari, and the entire leadership of his party.
Buhari and the APC leadership had preferred senator Ahmed Lawan, who they view as a more credible fellow. At a mock primary the party had endorsed Lawan, and left Saraki who had about 30 senators behind him.
The party also threw it’s weight behind Femi Gbajabiamila.
But by late Monday night the Saraki camp had made up its mind to fight to the end. The group approached the PDP Senators led by David Mark for an alliance. The Mark group became the beautiful bride or tie breaker.
Sources hinted pointblanknews.com that Saraki offered to make a PDP member deputy senate president if it backs Saraki.
It is also instructive to note that at about 1.50am Tuesday morning, PDP spokesman, Olisa Metuh, had in a statement directed it’s members to vote Saraki, and Yakubu Dogara for Speaker.
Meanwhile, sensing a showdown, the party leadership urged both groups to hold fire, and attend a reconciliation meeting at the Conference center Abuja, Tuesday, at 9am.
Pointblanknews.com gathered that while those loyal to Lawan, and Gbajabiamila, including Remi Tinubu, Omoworare, Isiaka Adeleke etc, assembled at the ICC, Saraki took his men to the National Assembly. When they got there, Mark and his men were already on ground.
Few minutes later, business commenced, without a large chunk of Senators who were at the ICC waiting for Buhari and top party officials.
Saraki was quickly nominated, Ahmed Yerima, and seconded by Dino Melaye. He was unopposed. He was proclaimed senate president.
New Deputy senate president, Ike Ekweremadu beat Ali Ndume to emerge.
Pointblanknews.com also gathered that when news got to the lawmakers at the ICC of what Saraki and his group were trying to do with the PDP, it was too late.
By the time they rushed down it was over. Sensing a similar scenario in the House of Representatives, those loyal to Gbajabiamila bolted from the ICC, without waiting for Buhari to arrive.
As at press time, sources hinted that those loyal to Lawan have to make him president, but with the gavel, and mace with Saraki such move remains far fetched.
But the group has tagged Saraki’s emergence as illegal because he has not been proclaimed by the President.