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By: Ifeanyi Izeze
Hitherto, we all thought that the former Edo state governor had some
quality stuffs upstairs but in less than two months of being incorporated
into the national politics from his little labour and Edo state enclaves,
he has quickly shown that he lacks the capacity to think deep and plan
strategically on issues especially as concerns engagement strategies
against political adversaries-real and perceived.
With every pronouncement, action, and even body language, Adams Oshiomole,
the newly enthroned National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress
party (APC) displays himself as a big mistake for the Buhari political
strategists. The man seems power drunk or at best in a hurry to prove
something that he has not.
Does Oshiomole not know that majority of the ordinary Nigerian people
would rather go in support of anyone perceived to be victimized by the
government whether state or federal? If you like don’t believe this but
that is the absolute truth of how the psyche of the Nigerian electorate
works.
At first many Nigerians thought the Senate President Bukola Saraki was
done but it has become obvious now how wrong that assertion was. Why on
earth would anybody use the word treason to describe the actions by the
Senate President in deferring the reconvening of Senate Plenary? The
meaning of the word “treason” is in every dictionary and it just does not
tally with Saraki’s actions by any stretch of the imagination. Senate
rules on reconvening plenary are clearly written down and so far, none has
been breached except in the mind of the APC national chairman.
It is absolutely dim-witted for Oshiomole and APC to speculate on a matter
that is clearly and legally beyond their reach. Does it occur to them that
subconsciously, they are helping Saraki to remain the Senate President
till the next election?
The National Assembly does not answer to any political party, in fact it
doesn’t answer to anyone but itself. That is how it is and will continue
except we do the constitutionally needful! How can being on a scheduled
recess and refusing to reconvene earlier than slated amount to treason? It
is unfortunate that Oshiomhole and his band of deluded sycophants have
still not realized that they are barking from a position of absolute
weakness. The earlier they accept it the better for them that Saraki has
outsmarted them again. The lesson is that it pays to have formal,
qualitative education or at least well-grounded native intelligence.
Is this not getting ridiculous now? Nobody anywhere in this government is
talking any more about governance and service delivery to the people of
this country rather Bukola Saraki has become the day job of the APC
National Chairman and his gang of shallow minds. Our president has gone to
London hospital again while we were told he is on vacation. Is that how to
run a country?
Let’s even look at it: Is this the first time this country is having the
current scenario in our National Assembly? Not at all! In 2014, Tambuwal,
the then Speaker of the House of Representatives decamped from PDP to APC
and was in minority in the House but kept the Speaker seat until he left
to contest for the governorship ticket in Sokoto state. Did heaven fall
and if it didn’t why dream it will fall this time around. Abeg, leave
matter!
Here we are with an Oshimole the coach who is spending huge resources and
great energy from the sidelines on tantrums with the players of the other
team.
As aptly put by a concerned Nigerian, “If you have been following
Oshiomole closely, you will agree with me that a party chairman is like a
coach and the politicians are the footballers. The tact and diplomacy of
the coach moves the team. But when you take a tailor whose best is to put
saliva on the tip of a thread and pass it through the eye of a needle to
lead a party, then be sure to remain in that his old school –one- style
coat of ‘we no go gree o, we no go greeee!”
Oshiomhole thinks that this is Nigeria Labour Congress turf. He should be
told and in a plain language too that he is overheating the polity with
his callous pronouncements and plethora of secret meetings. Interestingly,
every of his move is in the news and he still thinks he is smart. When you
have a good number of disgruntled APC senators who were treated badly in
their various states sitting in Oshiomole’s supposed secret meetings, why
won’t Saraki and his loyalists outsmart him?
The new APC national chairman thinks this is organised labour aluta
continua. No, this is politics at the national level. When you see Saraki
go from Ibrahim Babangida to Olusegun Obasanjo, those guys control some of
the APC senators that are meeting “in secret” with Oshiomhole. This man
should be helped to do things differently because there are some battles
that you leave to fight another day.
Oshiomole would have known or rather be educated that Buhari would not
have spent all those times dragging Saraki to the Code of Conduct
Tribunal (CCT) and trying to convict him for three years plus if he could
use two-third of senators present at any time to deal with him? The
president had the AGF and Special Adviser on National Assembly Matters to
educate him.
Even Femi Falana, who is an APC apologist, has warned Oshiomole and his
gang not to try a mock impeachment on Saraki with less than two-third of
the entire membership of the Senate. Was he also wrong in saying that
anything short of two-third is unconstitutional? The constitution could
have said impeachment by simple majority which is easier than two-third of
the entire senators.
Saraki knows so much more than those fighting him. Politics is not all
about media war. It’s about the Constitution and the numbers. APC should
work on this.
Whether you like Saraki or not is immaterial here. Divinity has placed him
(one from among them) from turning this country into a cult nation and
totalitarian state.
What purpose does removing the Senate President serve for the country
other than the executives having their way to the detriment of the
country? This is much ado about nothing. Is the legislature supposed to be
a rubber stamp to all executive decision? Saraki to me has been a blessing
to Nigerians in the face of this irresponsible government that operates
with so much impunity and disrespect for democracy. God bless Nigeria!