Saraki as Buhari’s collateral damage

By Jude Ndukwe …

Prior to the March 28 presidential election and shortly after it just before the inauguration

of President Muhammadu Buhari on May 29, many waited in high expectations and

eventually heaved a sigh of relief at what seemed to be a change of unsatisfactory

performance by the immediate past administration of President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

in particular and the 16 years of PDP rule at the centre and at various other levels in

general. President Muhammadu Buhari was widely acclaimed as the needed and long-

awaited messiah to take Nigeria to that utopian state of socio-economic haven and respect

for the rights of the citizens coupled with a guarantee of maximum security for everyone.

Buhari was packaged as a repentant dictator who is purportedly now in tune with

requirements of modern day democracy and the dictates of the rule of law. But just like

every package, the true contents unfold only when the lid is lifted.

With recent events, the claim of Buhari and his spin doctors that he is now a democrat and

no longer that autocratic leader he was as military Head-of-State has failed abysmally.

From the wanton harassment of Nigerians by security operatives to the invasion of private

and official homes of citizens Gestapo-style and the witch hunt of political opponents for

lawful dissent, the real Buhari keeps unfolding every day.

It is no longer a secret that since Buhari came to power, he has shown a grave lack of

respect for the polity and our delicate realities. He has carried on as if certain people and

regions do not either matter or they are not Nigerians. His appointments so far indicate a

president who is not only myopic in sight but one who lacks foresight. His claim that he had

to appoint those whom he trusted and who had been with him from his days of struggle is

socially expedient but politically suicidal and nationalistically murderous. The question is,

how did Buhari fare when these loyal apostles of his were with him? Were they able to

deliver the presidency to him? if not for his new breed of friends from different parts of the

country who teamed up with him not because he was in any way near the class of former

president Goodluck Ebele Jonathan but for the very fact that they were all driven by one

desperate ambition to have Jonathan leave Aso Rock by all and any means possible,

Buhari’s ambition to become Nigeria’s president would have remained an eternal mirage

despite his association with those he claimed have been with him for a long time. In the

end, such people can only be classified as “local champions” whose influence and loyalty to

their principal could not deliver him the presidency until the intervention of powerful

forces outside the immediate clique of Mr President.

The fact of the matter is, Buhari is one man who does whatever he likes irrespective of

what the nation thinks and no matter whose ox is gored. As a man not used to democratic

practices and one who is finding it extremely difficult to come to terms with the fact that he

cannot govern Nigeria alone as a sole administrator but would require a cabinet to do so,

Mr Buhari’s only choice is to create excuses and keep giving them as reasons why he does

not have a cabinet four months after inauguration.

The formation of a cabinet simply means meetings would have to be conveyed and

decisions would have to be reached by means not akin to dictatorial norms. The implication

is that some of Buhari’s wishes might meet brick walls before ministers who might knock

him out with superior arguments and proposals. He understands how scandalous things

can be for him if one or two ministers or more decide to resign because of his high-

handedness and incapability to succumb to superior proposals and submissions. For this

reason, he might prefer to continue to rule alone.

Read also: The probes – a necessary evil

It would have been understandable if things were either working or looking up in the

country without ministers, but as it is, things are getting worse by the day. The economic

indices are not favourable just as our economic ratings in the international community

have dropped drastically. Recently, the Nigeria Labour Congress confirmed that 60,000 of

its members lost their jobs in the construction industry alone in the first three months of

Buhari’s presidency, other private sector players including banks are regularly laying off

workers in their thousands just to survive the negative impacts of an ill-thought out

Treasury Single Account policy for MDAs, a policy that is not sustainable in the long run;

little wonder some MDAs have already been exempted from it even before take-off. A more

stringent and regular audit process for the MDAs would have been a better alternative.

This seems to be how Buhari is wired and it is unfortunate that for him to continue running

Nigeria like a sole proprietor, Senator Bukola Saraki, president of the Senate of the Federal

Republic becomes the victim and the proverbial sacrificial lamb.

The game is simple. Buhari seems to detest working with ministers. He would only do so

because the constitution compels him to so do. That is widely acknowledged. No one would

want to work with mere “noise makers”! Now, to deliberately delay the constitution of a

noise making cabinet, the confirming organ, that is the Senate, would have to be

destabilized and thrown into confusion. While the confusion in the senate lasts, and

fascinated by such intrigues, Nigerians would be pre-occupied with them as Buhari keeps

dishing out policies as he likes without a cabinet. This is why there would be more

executive-instigated intrigues in the legislature especially the Senate so as to make it look

like it is the legislature which is not ready for legislative functions while the executive

carries on without checks or balances. The senate would first of all fight for its own survival

before considering any requests from the executive including the ministerial list of noise

makers. This game plan by the executive may still fail and “noise makers” foisted on the

president so soon and against his will.

Senator Bukola saraki’s travails are not unconnected with the calculation by the Buhari’s

camp to continue to foist anti-democratic and dangerous political experiments on

Nigerians while the senate continues in an unending battle for self-preservation.

Unfortunately and in all these, Senator Bukola Saraki is the collateral damage!

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