NASS Crisis: Why is Oshiomole making Saraki more popular?

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?

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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!

(IFEANYI IZEZE writes from Abuja: [email protected]; 234-8033043009)