Senate President Bukola Saraki
A close ally of President Muhammadu Buhari and former Minority
Leader of the House of Representatives, Farouk Adamu Aliyu has revealed
that Senate President, Bukola Saraki’s impeachment is imminent as he
will be impeached when the National Assembly reconvenes.
He further revealed that lawmakers are already collecting signatures for Saraki’s removal.
In this interview with Saturday Sun’s
WILLY EYA, he dismissed one of the conspiracy theories that President
Buhari may not contest next year’s presidential election, even as he
frowned at the idea of Northern Elders Forum led by Prof Ango Abdullahi
searching for another presidential candidate to replace President Buhari
in 2019.
In an interview with Saturday Sun, the Chairman of Northern
Elders Forum, Prof Ango Abdullahi said the North is shopping for a
suitable candidate that will replace President Muhammadu Buhari in next
year’s general elections. As one of the core supporters of the
President, how does his statement come to you?
First of all, President Buhari is not the candidate of the North
but Nigeria as a whole. So, anybody in the Northern part of the country
who thinks they are still looking for a candidate from the North, we
wish them well. Prof Ango Abdullahi is entitled to his opinion and we
cannot stop anybody from seeking or searching for a candidate. To us, we
believe in this country and we believe that some of these kinds of
comments are divisive in nature. Why talk about a candidate from the
North.
His argument is that since the major political parties have zoned
their presidential tickets to the North, the zone should carefully
select a candidate that has more capacity in terms of delivering quality
leadership to the nation.
First of all, Prof Ango Abdullahi is a father to me but I do not
think he belongs to any political party. So, Prof Abdullahi and his
group cannot decide for any party who its candidate should be. Yes, they
could support somebody if they do not believe in Buhari because they
are entitled to their opinion. Let them produce anybody who can defeat
Buhari in 2019. We are in a democracy. There is nothing wrong in
bringing forward anybody who can contest against Buhari. If the person
is better than Buhari, so be it. Let the people decide.
As an insider, could you clarify the issue that members of
the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), one of the legacy parties
that formed the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been schemed out of
the ruling party’s power equation?
It is not true. I, Hon Farouk Adamu Aliyu contested to be Deputy
National Chairman from the CPC bloc but I lost the election. Why should
we be talking about the ACN or nPDP now? Our name is APC and if we
cannot be magnanimous in victory or when we lose elections, then we are
not going to move forward. This is the issue. I do not subscribe to the
idea of former CPC, ACN and so on members complaining. This is because
we are now called the APC. If members of the CPC complain, what do you
expect members of other parties to say when Buhari who is of the CPC is
the president? So, how can anybody who was a member of the CPC feel
shortchanged. Is the seat of the president not more important than any
other position? Somebody told me that some groups of the CPC were
reported in the media to be complaining but I dissociate myself from
them. I am not part of such a group and I do not subscribe to their
position. I am a strict party person and I believe in democracy. I
contested gubernatorial election on the platform of the CPC and I lost.
In every election, there must be a winner and a loser. So, if anybody
thinks I lost because I belonged to the CPC, I do not think so.
Buhari is of the CPC and all other parties came together to vote
for Buhari to become the candidate in 2014. And as of today, there is no
other aspirant from the other parties who have come out to challenge
Buhari who came from the CPC. So, my colleagues from the former CPC
bloc, please I appeal to them to see reason in democracy and believe
that we went to an election and lost. We should work together and make
sure that the APC wins the 2019 polls.
Are you comfortable with the leadership style of the new
national chairman of your party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. I ask this
question against the position of some people who argue that he operates
like a dictator and that he appears to be too flippant.
If I answer you this question, I would be very subjective because I
was the Director General of Adams Oshiomhole Campaign Organisation. As
for me, I totally subscribe to the way he does his things. If we in the
APC were used to doing certain things in some ways, he came with new
tactics and his tactics need time but some people do not understand.
People were used to a certain way and another way has been introduced.
After sometime, people would understand his tactics. The important thing
is that he wants the party to win. Adams is doing very well and a lot
of us in the party are very happy with him. You cannot say he is talking
too much. He is talking to power and we are pleased with the way he is
talking. He should keep talking. If you bring somebody that is quiet,
people will say why did you bring somebody that is too quiet and if you
bring somebody that talks, people will again say why did you bring
somebody who talks too much.
One of the speculations in the public domain is that former
Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Alhaji Babagana Kingibe
is being positioned to replace Buhari in the event that the president
declines to run. As an insider in Buhari’s government, how true is that?
Before I answer that question, let me confirm to you that President
Buhari is contesting. I just came back from London where I had a
meeting with him and he has indicated to the party that he would run.
But if anybody is willing to contest against Buhari in 2019, there is no
problem. Buhari is a democrat and if Kingibe wants to contest against
Buhari, he is welcome. If we go to the poll and Buhari is defeated, we
will join hands and work for the person. Just like I told you, I
contested election on the platform of the CPC which is of the Buhari
bloc and I lost but I have been working for the APC since then. If
anybody tells you that they want to remove Buhari, it is a lie. Buhari
can only be removed at the polls. He can either be defeated at the
primaries or at the elections proper.
What is your take on the crisis between the legislature and
the executive arm of government. Do you agree with those who insist
that the APC is desperate to impeach the Senate President Bukola Saraki?
There is nothing like being desperate to impeach the Senate
President. I can assure you that the APC shall impeach the Senate
President. Before, we were children of the same father but of different
mother but now, we are not the same mother or father. Bukola Saraki is
of the PDP and the APC is determined to remove him. So, there is nothing
desperate about it but he does not belong to the APC any more. Some say
why do we not want to remove the Speaker of the House of
Representatives; he is of the APC, so why should we remove him. He did
not defect to the APC. As for Saraki, we shall remove him. Let him
convene the National Assembly. We are slowly getting the signatures of
those that will impeach him.
But the opposition party, the PDP is saying that the APC
cannot get the 2/3 majority constitutionally required to impeach him.
So, how are you going to do that?
It is not impossible. The APC is very close to the required number to impeach him and we shall get there and do that.
Looking at the array of PDP aspirants positioning to replace Buhari in 2019, how do you feel?
We are extremely happy that all these people are going to the PDP
and you could already see from the way they are talking that they are
not in unity. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has already
complained about why the Senate President, Bukola Saraki should be given
leader of the party when he (Atiku) was a former vice president. Also,
the former Kaduna State governor, Ahmed Makarfi is warning that the
newcomers should not be given ticket. Shekarau is also saying that
Kwakwanso should join the queue. So, we are very happy with the
development. After all, it is democracy. We are in our own party and we
have one candidate; let them also do their convention and we shall see.
All these people ran to the PDP because they are looking for the
presidential ticket and there can only be one candidate. Probably, when
they finish and they did not get the ticket, they will start running
back but all that is democracy. We of the APC have been benefitting from
people defecting from other parties to us. We are used to people
running into our party.
It appears that the 2019 elections have finally divided the
North. I ask this because of the number of candidates coming out from
the North ahead of this election. It was not like that in the past.
No matter the number of aspirants that have come out, only one
candidate would emerge from any of the parties in the elections. And
among all those parties, the APC is virtually going for one candidate.
You can see the number of aspirants in the PDP. It shows you there is no
unity in the party. All of them are struggling for their interests. So,
let us see whether they can come together. We in APC are praying they
do not come together. We in APC are praying God keep dividing them. That
is our prayer.
Are you saying that APC does not have its own internal
challenges. Have you forgotten that you still have the R-APC led by Buba
Galadima, one of the foundation members of the party who has even taken
the party to court?
Buba Galadima is not the only core member of the APC. As democrats,
we believe that Buba Galadima has the right to support Buhari or not
than following the R-APC which is unconstitutional and not recognized by
law. But he is entitled to his opinion and good a thing, Buhari has not
even joined issues with him. That is okay with us. We are not saying
that everybody must go with Buhari.
You were once a minority leader of the House of
Representatives; how do you see the developments in the 8th National
Assembly especially with regards to the relationship between it and the
executive arm of government?
It is sad and the development is affecting the nation. You find
that the turnout in the National Assembly is too much. That is the
problem. I came in 2003 and by that time, more than 50 per cent of the
elected representatives were new and when we left, more than 80 per cent
were new. The turnout is one of the main problems facing the National
Assembly. Most of the people that are there now are first timers. Again,
the National Assembly has become a retiring ground for governors. But
the masses are seeing it that part of the problem of Nigeria is the
National Assembly. People should vote their conscience for candidates
with integrity and those who have the interests of Nigeria irrespective
of their party.