The Untold, The Joker, The Big Secret Why Buhari Is Actually On Massive Crackdown On 'Corrupt Politicians'

The total dominance of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC by 2019 has been revealed as the untold reason why President Muhammadu Buhari government will continue and sustain its massive crack down on corrupt politicians, Ripples Nigeria reported

It was learnt according to Ripples Nigeria that the hunt for perceived enemies of the state is beyond the anti-graft war as has been widely speculated.

The last three months have witnessed a rash of arrests, mostly of top government officials who served in the Goodluck Jonathan administration and their ‘collaborators’ in the corporate world. The most recent were the dramatic invitation and arrest of Femi Fani-Kayode, Jonathan’s former Campaign Director, and Barrister Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, a known critic of Buhari’s seeming permissive disrespect for the rule of law.

Theirs were preceded by the detention and release of the Managing Directors of Fidelity Bank, Sterling Bank and Access Bank. There are speculations that a very top official of First Bank may also have been picked by operatives of Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

While Adegboruwa has been accused of ‘419’ activities, the bank chiefs are alleged to have partaken in Dasukigate and the looting of $15 billion earmarked for arms purchase.

Very competent sources within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) have confided in Ripples Nigeria that the sustained battle against ‘corruption’ is deliberate and orchestrated, and aimed at clearing the way for total dominance of the party in the 2019 elections. But this is only the broad perspective. Our sources say that the minor details lay in the hidden struggle for the control of the party structure and soul of the APC.

“APC is stewed in opposition politics. We are veterans and understand what it means to put our opponents on the defensive all the time. PDP was a behemoth, and still remains largely so with a massive financial chest. We know that with a slim majority across the states and the National Assembly, our hold on the polity would be tenuous.

“The move to decimate PDP is strategic and deliberate. It’s the wisest and safest thing to do in the circumstance, if we hope to consolidate the reins of power in 2019. We don’t want to be a one-term government, the source stated.

He continued that “The PDP made themselves game by the reckless looting of the nation’s treasury. We knew they were desperate to retain power in 2015 and stole heavily to fund the campaigns. It was easy to track their sources of funding because of our network within the presidency. The revelations so far are a tip of the iceberg. By the time we are done, PDP would barely crawl,” our source said.

He admitted that rumblings within the party had become a major threat to its stability but was quick to add that APC was focused on the primary task of putting PDP in disarray.

“Yes, it’s true that powerful elements within the APC hierarchy are engaged in a fierce struggle for control of the party machinery. Not even the presidency is uninterested. Buhari is arguably one of the hungriest and smartest Nigeria politicians alive. He knows that he must work to keep the party structure with him. Don’t be deceived, the ‘anti-corruption war’ may swing either way and come in handy as a joker.”

The source also noted that discerning party chieftains are already wary of this and plotting safety valves, just in case Mr President decides to table his ace.

“In spite of all the rumblings, we are focused on the one goal of returning to power in 2019. This is paramount to all APC faithful”, our source said.

Ripples Nigeria

Attack On Buhari: Fayose 'UNGRATEFUL' Small Boy That Forgets History - Bode George

A former military governor of Ondo state and Lagos base chieftain of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George has warned Ekiti State Governor, Dr. Peter Ayodele Fayose to tread slowly, especially on his incessant attack on President Muhammadu Buhari.

Chief George in a recent interview granted the Daily Sun described Fayose as a small boy who must be grateful to God for reinstalling him back to power, but instead, the governor busy with personal, unintellectual and unintelligent attack on the President.

A former National Deputy Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Olabode George in his usual manner of no hold barred said to the Daily Sun interviewer;

"We have an adage in my language. The wis­dom of the elders; the grey hair is not for cows, or ram. It is a true reflection of so many expe­riences and learning. When you see a young man, boisterous, firing on both sides of the cyl­inder, then my word is ‘gada nkada, ankali, jee-jeeo, Nwayo nwayo, slow- slow’. You see snail?" Sometimes you see it on top of a roof. It has no hand, it has no leg, but it climbs and gets to the top. How does it do it? It will look right and left and move. If you touch it, it will hide again, and can stay there for a long time." 

"My advice to him is that though we must have opposition, it must be constructive; it must be intellectual, nothing personal. When we were in power, opposition governors used to come to discuss what they wanted in their states. You don’t put him perpetually on attack. He is the president. I think it is a little too much when you start firing a letter outside to another president to dishonour a loan agreement. That is a little too much for Ayo."

"I know Ayo. One thing that he should be grateful to God is that they haunted him out of government house. He is still my boy, my little boy. That was during Obasanjo’s era. What they did to him was il­legal, it was not right. He knew we supported him. But see the way the Almighty works. Ex­actly 8 years, on the same day, he came back as governor. What else does he need other than to praise God and do what is right. He can book an appointment that he wants to see the presi­dent." 

"I am saying this because the very first time he came there, the whole people in man­agement conspired that he would not be gov­ernor. He and my mother’s younger brother came to me at 2.30 am at a hotel in Ekiti when Obasanjo was coming the following morning. I gave him N230,000 to go and buy his own dress; that he will get the ticket that morning to be governor. He didn’t believe it. I said, go and sow it overnight, which he did."

"I went on board the aircraft, because they had given the dress of another man they want­ed as governor to Obasanjo. They had given it to baba. I explained to baba and he said, okay Bode, keep the dress. I would be going from here to commission NTA station in Ekiti. After that, I will announce and call for you. Bring the dress inside the building. I took the dress there. After Baba had finished commissioning the station, he dropped it, and called out ‘Bode’. I said ‘yes baba’. He said ‘ Oya come.’ We went into one studio there. That was where Baba changed. You know everybody had to move to the stadium. We changed into Fayose’s dress. When he entered the stadium in Fayose’s dress there was surprise, and that did it. He should remember, because if you forget about history you will repeat the mistake.

'Saraki LIED', We Struck Deal With Him To Become The Senate President - PDP Reveals

Contrary to claim by the embattled Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki he struck no deal with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP to become the President of the Senate, a national officer of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP has said that the PDP had been in alliance with the embattled President of the Senate, before, during and after his emergence as the head of the national Assembly.

Bukola Saraki has explained how he emerged the senate president of the 8th assembly dismissing talks that he struck a deal with Nigeria’s main opposition party, Peoples Democratic Party to emerge president.

Saraki in response to Dele Momodu’s position that he struck a deal to emerge, noted that, senators elected on the platform of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) gave the PDP an opportunity produce the senate deputy president.

“I did not do any deal with the PDP. I did not have to because even before the PDP Senators as a group took the decision to support my candidature on the eve of the inauguration of the 8th Senate, 22 PDP Senators had already written a letter supporting me.”

HAVE YOU READ Saraki's Successor: 10 APC Senators Strike Deal To Support Ekweremadu, See Names of Senators Involved?

“What I did not envisage was a situation where some members of my party would not be in the chambers that day, especially when the clerk had already received a proclamation from the President authorizing the inauguration of the Senate.”

“Pray, if a team refuse to turn up for a scheduled match and is consequently walked over, would it be fair to blame the team that turned up and claimed victory?” he quizzed.

He then aded that: “I believe those that made it possible for PDP to claim the deputy senate president position were those who decided to hold a meeting with APC senators elsewhere at the time they ought to be in the chambers.

However, a national officer of the PDP, who asked not to be named, said the party was aware of the development and that the PDP would be happy to take over the Senate Presidency.

DON'T MISS CCT Trial: Tinubu Behind My Ordeal For Denying Him Presidency - Saraki Opens Up

“We have been in alliance for long because Saraki was a PDP member. When he was in the New PDP, which later merged with other parties to form the APC, we were still with him and him with us, even at the level of his Senate Presidency. So we will be happy to take over the Senate because the APC never wanted to recognise the New PDP in its fold,” he said.

But, a national officer of the PDP, who do not want his name mentioned has revealed that the PDP and Saraki had been in alliance for a long time. The officer who was quoted by Daily Trust newspaper, in reaction to the new deal struck with 10 All Progressives Congress, APC to back Senator Ike Ekweremadu to succeed Sakaki, should the current Code of Conduct Tribunal trial consume his office.

The PDP national officer was quoted by Daily Trust saying; “We have been in alliance for long because Saraki was a PDP member. When he was in the New PDP, which later merged with other parties to form the APC, we were still with him and him with us, even at the level of his Senate Presidency. So we will be happy to take over the Senate because the APC never wanted to recognise the New PDP in its fold,” he said.

David Mark REJECTS Offer To Replace Saraki, Declares Support For APC; 4 Names Shortlisted

Tense mood pervaded the Senate proceedings on Tuesday, following the departure of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki, to attend the sitting of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), in respect of his ongoing trial for false asset declaration.

The Nigerian senators were said to be unhappy at the development, especially with the symbol of the institution being kept in the dock during Senate sittings.

“We cannot shave someone’s head in his absence,” said a lawmaker, who added that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has not debated the issue of who replaces Saraki if he is possibly swept aside through the ongoing trial,” sources said.

The lawmakers said the issue of who takes over at the helm of the Senate would only be taken within a few days when it became obvious.

The development was coming on the heels of the revelation that the immediate past Senate president, Senator David Mark, has rejected subtle offers that he takes over from Saraki, in case the Senate president is removed.

Sources close to the former Senate president told the Nigerian Tribune in Abuja that Mark was content with playing the role of an elder in the Senate, adding that he would continue to be a guide to the Senate at critical times.

“I can tell you that the former Senate president is content with his role as the conscience of the eighth senate. He is of the view that the PDP should allow the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) run the show, so that the former ruling party could play its role as opposition.

“We in the PDP have had our time and Senator Mark is of the view that the APC should be allowed to run its government, so that they don’t turn around and blame anyone for obstructing them,” the source said.

It, however, emerged that the pro and anti-Saraki forces have continued their strategy meetings despite the daily sittings at the CCT.

While some members of the SUF, who have clamoured for a united APC caucus in the Senate, had also canvassed the emergence of a unity candidate in case Saraki was removed, the Like Mind Senators, the group loyal to Saraki, had continued to bank on the support of the PDP to dictate the pace.

It was gathered that the groups had agreed to field a unity candidate if Saraki was removed.

“One of the issues said to have been agreed to at the different caucus meetings is the fact that a unity candidate should emerge and that could lead to the emergence of a compromise candidate,” a source said.

It was gathered that some names had been thrown up, but no conclusion had been reached so far.

Those being mentioned included Senator Shaba Lafiaji (Kwara), Barnabas Gemade (Benue), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa) and the Deputy Senate President, Ekweremadu (Enugu).

In another development, the Senate announced on Tuesday that the National Security Adviser and service chiefs would appear before the lawmakers today.

Their appearance was in connection with the summon extended to them last week by the Senate over the  missing Chibok girls, kidnapped by Boko Haram elements in 2014.

Ekweremadu, who presided over the sitting, said the NSA and the service chiefs would be in the chamber by 10.00 a.m., while urging the senators to be punctual.

Ekweremadu said that the Senate was worried at the continuous disappearance of the abducted girls and apparent lack of information on what the security agencies were doing to secure their release.

In another motion passed on the floor of the Senate on Tuesday, the lawmakers approved the continued importation of used tyres, popularly called Tokunbo, into the country through land borders.

The motion followed the passage of the motion, entitled: “the use of substandard or used tyres on Nigerian roads,” sponsored by Senator Shehu Sani.

Sani, in his motion, expressed worry about the growing deaths from road traffic accidents.

He said from 2010 to date, statistics had shown that over 5,000 lives had been lost on Nigerian roads as a result of burst tyres.

He said the development was either due to low quality or over-use of the tyres.

But the Senate failed to empower the Federal Roads Safety Corps (FRSC) and Vehicle Inspection Officers (VIOs) to conduct a random checks on tyres in use across the country.

Nigerian Tribune

You Be Thief! I No Be Thief, By Goke Butika

"Society is produced by our wants, and government by wickedness; the former promotes our happiness positively by uniting our affections, the latter negatively by restraining our vices. The one encourages intercourse, the other creates distinctions. The first is a patron, the last a punisher. Society in every state is a blessing, but government even in its best state is but a necessary evil"-----Thomas Paine

Can it be true that the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Professor Wale Oladipo was begging Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to find a way of shielding him from criminal trial as a result of his readiness to return his share of loot from DASUKIGATE?

No, I can't believe that a Professor Oladipo could beg the President he once described as an illiterate for mercy! So, guilty conscience could make a man with fleet of degrees kiss the canvass of those who have no "certificate"? Life has phases and a careful analysis of the phases could be interesting.

Even f I chose to play doubting thomas' character, the PDP scribe has confessed to have shared from the Dasuki's bazaar, and he has thrown his hands up in surrender with a promise to pay N75 million he collected for doing nothing back. It may appear like a script of nollywood, but the entire drama of death and absurdities is real.

Was I surprised when I read the story of self confession of Professor Ladipo? No, but I was provoked to think aloud on how we have found ourselves in that magnitude of impunity, and I must say without apology that history would never be kind to the former President Goodluck Jonathan for superintending the most wickedly corrupt administration which saw to the death of thousands of Nigerians before he was pushed out.

I was at a meeting at the instance of Governor Rauf Aregbesola in 2013, when the picture of this impunity was in its negative copy, and the man lamented that Nigeria was in state of  war; insisting that Nigeria was bleeding so badly, and that the bubble would soon burst, and everybody irrespective of position or status would be in trouble. Honestly speaking,  none of us at the meeting except the governor understood the magnitude of the looting spree.

While the state of anomie painted by Aregbesola began to manifest,  Boko Haram that was at a formation stage began to kill in hundreds, bombed churches, and ambushed traders. Remember, it was Ali Modu Sheriff, the current National Chairman of the PDP that was in power as the governor of Borno state  when the terrorist network called boko haram was formed, and I recalled that he once responded to a reporter's question on the criticism over his lifestyle, that majority of the voters in Borno are not literate. So, they would not read the arguments of his critics. And when the then NSA before Dasuki dropped the bombshell that PDP's politics amplified boko haram activities, he was fired and got killed in a chopper crash. The rest is history.

Then, Colonel Sambo Dasuki came on board, and being a man from the North, and a Prince in the Sultanate, the assumption was that he would deploy his religious and regional connections to gather information about the festering sore in the North East, and tame the terrorism, but we were wrong because under his watch boko haram began to open caliphate and gaining territories. Thence, there was need to launch a full war, and it became the business of the military. Oh, you want to say that Jonathan was not a man with military background? Well, he was the Commander in Chief, and he must have presided over security meetings; he must have been made to approve funds for technologies and weapons to fight the war. However, the latest confessions from Metuh and Ladipo and co have shown that instead of prosecuting war as citizens were made to understand then, Dasuki was prosecuting electioneering campaign.

Ha! The hearts of men are full of wickedness, as it was written in one of the religious books. Scores of boys in government school were slaughtered before dawn in 2014 in Buni Yadi, Yobe State;  257 young and promising girls of Chibok school were kidnapped in Borno state, several villages and town were sacked in Adamawa state; scores of traders from Oyo state killed in Maduguri; scores were killed in bomb blast at United Nations House in Abuja and so on. But, instead of prosecuting war, Dasuki was prosecuting electioneering campaign.

I do not intend to appeal to emotion, but even if Ladipo and others who shared the blood money return their loot, can we ever return the lives lost? How come none of the PDP chiefs and their accomplices who shared the blood money lost the tinge of humanity in them? So, Shekau was not just boasting, he knew for sure that there would never be fund to buy weapons to fight his satanic sect, as long as Jonathan was in power; he knew that money voted for military equipment would continued to be shared as long as Dasuki remained NSA. What a country!

Bafarawa, former governor of Sokoto state got two billion naira for spiritual purpose, Raymond Dokepsi of AIT/Ray power media group got over two billion from Dasuki, Metuh got over 400 million, Fanikayode, the Jonathan campaign spokesman got N850 million, Prof. Ladipo got N75 million, and the roll call continues, at the detriment of the innocent lost souls and at the expense of a nation.

Because of Ladipo and his Comrades in crime, 219 innocent girls are passing through harrowing experience in the hands of terrorists yet to be found as you are reading this piece. Today, the dragnet of anti-graft agencies are sharpened for fight against the wicked looters, but they could not afford to lose their comfort; so they want to return their loot, but the question that is yet to be answered is, are they going to return the lost souls of the innocent ones whose crime was that they come from or reside in the North East? Are they going to return the souls of the students slain in their schools, whose crime was that they answered the clarion call of a nation for a "total person"? Are they going to return the livelihoods of the millions who had become refuges in their country?

Honestly speaking, Nigeria needs a complete purge with iron hand that can only be deployed by President Muhammadu Buhari, but it is a pity, the so called advocates of "rule of Law" who are sharing from the shared loots cannot understand that what comes around goes around. Anyway, the looters are returning their loots, and that presents some semblance of hope. But?

Butika is an intercontinental journalist.

Amosun, Osoba can’t Save Ogun APC From Defeat in 2019 – Adebutu

A House of Representatives member, Oladipupo Adebutu, has said the influence of both Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun, and a former governor of the state, Chief Olusegun Osoba, would not save the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) from defeat in the state in 2019.

Adebutu, a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, declared that his party was committed to reclaiming the state from APC in the next general elections.

He spoke during the inauguration of his constituency office in Isara, Remo North Local Government Area of the state.

Speaking against the backdrop of the return of Osoba to APC, the lawmaker, representing Remo Federal Constituency, said the ongoing reconciliation within the ruling party in the state is not a threat to the opposition PDP.

Advertisement

According to him, the ruling party’s reconciliation would soon hit the rocks because its members are strange bedfellows.

Adebutu said: “The truth of the matter is that it is not the first time we are seeing that reconciliation and we must remember that party was born from day one with strange bedfellows.”

“And gradually from day one when Amosun was brought in to become the gubernatorial candidate of that party barely five years ago, it did not take long before he attempted to swallow the heads of all the leaders of the party in the arrangement.

“And I don’t think his rationale or thinking has changed and I don’t see why it should change. After all, he is not going for further election. I don’t think he should bash the head, he should just swallow the whole body.”

TodayNG

LEAKED: PDP Secret Deal To Produce Saraki's Replacement, Plots To Force Ekweremadu' Resignation

There are fresh indications that the Peoples Democratic Party members in the upper chamber have perfected strategies to produce a successor to Senator Bukola Saraki as Senate President if he is removed as a result of his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal.

But the All Progressives Congress senators have vowed to resist any attempt by their PDP colleagues to take over the red chamber from them.

Our correspondent learnt that the PDP senators met for several hours on Monday night to take a final decision on the issue.

It was not clear whether the current Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, would be allowed to take over the top Senate seat.

A source at the meeting claimed that some people were of the opinion that Ekweremadu should resign alongside Saraki as a sacrifice while an APC senator from the North-Central would emerge as the deputy.

Confirming the development to journalists on Wednesday, the Chairman, Senate Committee on Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Peter Nwaboshi, said the PDP would produce the next Senate President.

He said, “Should the incumbent, Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki, is forced to vacate the office, we have perfected necessary arrangements to take over the upper chamber.”

He said the PDP was ready to replicate the current system in the United States of America, where the Republicans are in charge of the parliament, while the Democrats are in control of the executive.

He said, “Well, I wish the APC the best of luck if they are on a wild goose chase. But I want you to mark what I am saying. I was the first to address the press in Port Harcourt and I told them that Saraki was going to win the Senate Presidency and I gave them my reasons.

“Then, nobody ever thought that Saraki was going to win. People were saying that APC had decided. But it was clear to me that he was going to win and I had to address the press. Eventually, we went there, he won. If, but God forbids, because we don’t see it coming, by chance, Saraki is removed, I can tell you that the PDP will produce the next Senate President.”

Speaking on how the PDP intends to get the support of other lawmakers to produce the next Senate President, Nwaoboshi said, “We only need three and we have them.”

He added, “The calculation is very clear to me; the calculation is very clear to the PDP. When I told them that Saraki was going to win, I did a lot of mathematical calculations based on the facts on the ground and it is even clearer to me now that the PDP will win it.

“If anybody is thinking that a PDP man is going to vote against a PDP candidate, he is telling you a lie. We have people and we know how to get the people from the APC. We will win and that will be very interesting. What is happening in America is going to happen in Nigeria. America has a Republican Senate but the executive is led by Democrats.

“In any case, my party, the PDP, we have resolved in our meeting to support him (Saraki). So, there is no basis for him to resign.”

However, senators, elected on the platform of the APC, are not taking the plot of their PDP colleagues lightly as they held a meeting last week in the house of a former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aliyu Wammako, in Abuja.

Although the meeting was initially said to have been called with a motive to get all Senators of the APC to unite behind Saraki, it was later learnt that senators at the meeting were more concerned about the embarrassment disunity was causing the ruling party in the Senate.

According to sources close to the meeting, the lawmakers wanted a situation in which the interests of government would be promoted at all times in the Senate.

The meeting was said to have resolved to work in the interest of the party to ensure that the opposition party never had its way on any matter.

But the APC was sharply divided in the Senate along the lines of those supporting the Senate President and those against him.

The unity forum senators had worked against Saraki after he emerged the Senate President in a controversial election but the like-minded senators were on his side.

Spokesperson for the SUF, Senator Kabir Marafa, confirmed that the two factions of the APC in the Senate met last week to close ranks and resist any attempt by the PDP to call the shots in the red chamber.

He said, “We sat for four days last week, brainstormed, agreed and at the end of the day, we came out with a three-point agenda. We felt if they are agreed upon, the APC caucus in the National Assembly can become one.

“Number one issue is the illegality of our committees. We said we must constitute the committees in tune with the Standing Orders of the Senate. Number two is that the APC members, especially the Unity Forum elements, who are marginalised in the formation of the committees, should be accommodated.

“Number three is the issue of leadership and how it affects our party.

“President Muhammadu Buhari talked about party supremacy and how we must obey. These are the three issues that were deliberated upon.

“Number one item in the list was agreed upon. We agreed that we will amend the rules to accommodate all committees of the Senate. Number two on the agenda was also agreed upon; that is the issue of committees, with a view to giving our party members what they deserve.

“We have a government in place and we are senators elected with that government. We are under the same canopy. We have a moral duty to support our government, President and our party.”

Excerpted from Punch Newspaper

APC Senators Peace Talks Upset Saraki's PDP Alliance

The ongoing peace talks of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senate caucus have upset the alliance of the Senate president Bukola Saraki with the senators of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

Resting on the strength of the PDP on June 9 last year, Saraki emerged the Senate president against the wish of the APC leadership. His party had preferred Senator Ahmed Lawan (APC Yobe North) but he dribbled the party to clinch the seat. As at then, the APC had 59 and the PDP had 49 senators.

Since then, it has been from one crisis to the other for the Senate president, the heir of the Saraki political dynasty in Kwara State. The crisis was solely in the caucus of the APC as the PDP were united.

Apparently, to settle the PDP senators for their support towards his emergence, Saraki rewarded them with committees considered to be juicier than the ones allocated to members of his party, excluding the former governors.

It was in November last year that he constituted the committees and gave APC 41 and PDP 24. Specifically, it was gathered that Saraki jerked up the committees from 57 to 65 without amending the Senate standing rules, to accommodate his supporters.

Not satisfied with the constitution of the committees, spokesman of the Unity Forum of Lawan, Senator Kabiru Marafa, kicked against the increase in the number of committees, saying it was done in violation of their rules.

Until three weeks ago, the APC Senate caucus has been in red with the Lawan’s camp dishing out missiles at intervals. 

For instance, when Saraki lost his bid to stop his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Marafa apparently acting the script of his camp called for the resignation of Senate president.

Saraki is facing a 13-count charge at the CCT bordering on false assets declaration while he was governor of Kwara State. Though, members of Saraki’s camp have reaffirmed their support for him, the call for his resignation caused uproar at the National Assembly.

The feud in the APC camp almost led to the suspension of one of the party’s senators. Marafa’s case at the ethics, privileges and public petitions committee is still hanging. The committee has recommended his suspension.

Realising the danger of the crack in their fold, three weeks ago, the APC caucus began a truce moves. Before the start of the peace talks, there were reports that the Senate presidency could be hijacked by the PDP in case Saraki falls.

The APC talks started from the office of a ranking senator from the north with key players of the two camps in attendance. The truce talks have since then become regular with former governor of Sokoto State, Senator Aliyu Wamakko playing a lead role.

Sources told our correspondent that five people have been elected from each of the camps.

The Saraki camp is being represented by Ahmed Sani Yarima (APC, Zamfara West), Kabiru Gaya (APC, Kano South), Adamu Aliero ( Kebbi Central), Wamakko and Danjuma Goje (APC, Gombe central).

The Lawan camp, Unity Forum, was represented by Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi(APC, Kaduna North), Kabiru Marafa (APC, Zamfara Central), Gbenga Ashafa (APC, Lagos East) Abu Ibrahim (APC, Katsina South) and Lawan (APC, Yobe North).

It was gathered that at the meeting of truce committee held at the Abuja residence of Wamakko, the camps unanimously agreed to amend the Senate standing orders to reflect the eight newly created committees.

Also, the truce committee has agreed that the composition of the 65 committees be reviewed to accommodate APC senators that were sidelined in the present arrangement.

Wamakko and Marafa have since confirmed the ongoing truce talk, and said it was in the interest of their party and the generality of Nigerians.

With the accord, our correspondent reports that some of the committees allocated to the PDP senators may be taken and reallocated to the APC senators.

A senator from Lawan’s camp told our correspondent that they are planning to complete the truce talk before the end of the Easter break.

“We have agreed to legalise the newly created committees. We also agreed to adjust the membership of the committees to carry members of our party along. We are yet to finalise talks on the last condition which is to respect our party’s position,” he said.

One of the senators in Saraki’s camp who attended the meeting told our correspondent that the truce move was yielding the desired result.

“If you look at the Senate now, you will appreciate the importance of our truce talks. It is our party that Nigerians voted for and not the PDP, so we will not allow them to hijack our success,” he said.

To counter the APC moves, the PDP senators on Wednesday through Thursday had marathon meetings where the issue and others were discussed. The PDP National Chairman, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff attended the first leg of the PDP Senate caucus.

One of the senators that attended the meeting said they reviewed the strengths and weaknesses of their party.

“You know the National Assembly, particularly the Senate, is our political armoury and arsenal. We will utilise it very well to launch our party,” a senator from the southeast said.

But in a communique issued at the end of the meeting, the Senate minority leader, Godswill Akpabio, said INEC had no reason whatsoever to withhold the results of Rivers State rerun elections, where three senatorial seats are being contested. 

The PDP senators also called on President Muhammadu  Buhari  to support the ongoing commission of enquiry investigating the killings in the Rivers re-run elections with a view to bringing perpetrators to justice .

The communique reads: “The caucus noted the reports from the just concluded rerun elections in Rivers State, particularly the declaration of results in units, wards and local government collation centres and resolved accordingly:

“That lNEC should as a matter of urgency, release the outstanding results in the Rivers State rerun elections particularly results that were collated from all polling units/wards/local government areas in their possession with immediate effect.”

How APC, PDP stand at Senate

Our correspondent reports that at the inception of the Senate in June last year, the APC had firm control of the upper chamber with 59, PDP 48 senators and the seat of Borno Central was vacant.

The parties maintained the number until in November when Baba Kaka Bashir Garbai was sworn for the Borno Central senatorial district, thus APC added one, making 60.

It was observed that the nullification of some senatorial district elections in November and December gave PDP an upper hand at the red chamber.

In the north, the PDP won two senatorial seats in Nasarawa South and Kogi Central, while the APC only got one, Taraba Central.

At the moment, the APC has 58, PDP 44 and LP has a senator in the person of Ovie Omo-Agege of Delta Central. The re-run for six senatorial districts are being conducted.

Excerpted from Daily Trust