“It is just cheap blackmail by political adversaries who want to call a dog a bad name in order to hang it. And those making such desperate allegations should remember that I willingly left the PDP on matters of principles when the Party was in power. Is it now that the Party is out of government and in opposition that I will now return having worked so hard for my Party in the last general elections?"
Bukola Saraki, the controversially elected President of the Senate, has pledged to be loyal to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after going behind a majority of the Party’s back to rush his election as the leader of the National Assembly.
Mr. Saraki became Senate President on Tuesday, following a power grab that included an alliance with Senators of his former Party (PDP) at the expense of Ahmed Lawan of Yobe State, who was supported by powerful elements in the APC, including Bola Tinubu, to ascend to the Senate Presidency.
Saraki won an unopposed election held at a time when 51 APC Senators were meeting with Party Leadership, including President Buhari, at the International Conference Center. Mr. Buhari later stated that the election of Saraki was constitutional.
There have been speculations that Saraki, and APC Senators loyal to him, have brokered a deal to return to PDP.
In a statement made on Wednesday, Senator Saraki dismissed the speculations of his plan to re-defect to the PDP as “absurd and laughable”.
“It is just cheap blackmail by political adversaries who want to call a dog a bad name in order to hang it. And those making such desperate allegations should remember that I willingly left the PDP on matters of principles when the Party was in power. Is it now that the Party is out of government and in opposition that I will now return having worked so hard for my Party in the last general elections?
He affirmed his commitment to the APC, saying he remains “a loyal party member and a leader of the party, committed to contributing my quota to building the party and helping it to deliver its promise of change to the people of Nigeria.”
He described President Buhari’s reaction to Tuesday’s election of National Assembly leaders as a “great mark of leadership” and “a demonstration of the President’s commitment to democracy”.
“I commend President Buhari for remaining steadfast in his commitment to the principle of non-interference in National Assembly politics even in the face of great pressure on him to act otherwise. This shows that Mr. President is a man of great conviction who, in his own words, belongs to everyone and to no one,” he said.
Saraki also asked all members of the National Assembly to put politics behind them and focus on lawmaking. He said that he is ready to work with everyone regardless of their political identity.
“Our country is going through a very trying time. We have the challenge of insecurity in the North East; the massive problem of youth unemployment; and general economic challenges occasioned by fall in revenue. All these are against the huge public expectation that propelled our party into office.
“We have pursued our legitimate aspirations appropriately. Now that the issues have been settled, we need to move on in the larger interest of our people, whose mandate made us to be in a position to aspire to these positions in the first place,” the Senate President said.