By Mumini Abdulkareem
Has the Saraki era in Kwara ended with the latest turn of events? As unthinkable as such poser may sound before the last rounds of the general elections held across the state recently, it has become one of the major concerns of supporters and apologists of the political dynasty that has existed for over four decades in the state.
Following the results of the elections, the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) produced the three senatorial seats, six House of Representatives, all twenty-four House of Assembly members and the Governor of the state. Consequent upon the dramatic clean sweep of all elective positions, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the structure of the dynasty were left with zero political patronage across board. It was based on this premise that the question of whether the results of such paradigm shift in electoral fortunes will signal the end of the dynasty in the state.
Not the first time
Going by antecedent, this will not be the first time such fate will befall the dynasty but it has always risen above the ashes to bounce back in style and with even greater impact. Such template is not expected to be different this time around. During the formative years of the reign of the late patriarch of the family, Dr Olusola Saraki, the late Baba Oloye who was literarily just gathering momentum suffered his first defeat in the 1964 parliamentary election for Ilorin as an independent candidate. After the election, Saraki returned to his medical practice in Lagos, only returning to party-politics in 1977 when he was elected as a member of the Constituent Assembly that produced the 1979 Constitution. He was subsequently elected a Senator of the Second Republic same year and emerged the Senate Leader. In 1983, Saraki was re-elected into the Senate on the platform of the National Party of Nigeria (NPN) before the military junta of Ibrahim Babangida scuttled that era. From then on, late Saraki became the kingpin of Kwara politics and went ahead to install several governors some of whom tried to test their popularity outside his support but were humbled. The likes of late Adamu Attah and Muhammed Lawal rattled the political sophistication of the late Oloye but all failed in their quests to have him dethroned. It was a period that saw late Saraki emerging from the power tussle with his benefactors rather stronger. If history is anything to go, it is only a matter of time before the Senate President use the present temporary setback of his defeat as a launch pad to even greater achievements in all spheres of human endeavours, especially concerning his political career.
Loss not total blackout for dynasty
While the debate about what next for Saraki as an individual is on, same cannot be said of the dynasty. One of the major pillars which the opposition flaunted during the campaigns was the “acquisition” of Senator Gbemi Saraki as part of their political arsenal. With Gbemisola again occupying a key position among the new set of generation of leaders in the state, the influence and relevance of the Saraki political structure in the old and new Kwara appears inevitable and has once again underscored the political significance of the Sarakis.
Will Senate President Bounce Back?
The question of what will be the fate of Dr Bukola Saraki after the last election defeat has troubled the minds of many of his supporters and detractors alike, some of whom have expressed concern over whether he would be able to regenerate his political career. But just like his father rose from his first electoral defeat, Bukola Saraki has the capacity, wherewithal, connection (local and international), resources and charisma to make his defeat one of the most memorable comebacks politically for him in the country. Saraki might have made his mistakes in the ongoing narrative, but nobody, not even his most avowed enemy will deny his political sagacity and sophistication when it comes to strategic planning and execution. Unlike in the months leading to the presidential and governorship election which reduced Saraki’s availability at home and the opportunity to properly coordinate affairs of the dynasty, Saraki will no longer be weighed down by legislative duties and government functions this time around. The ample time that will now be available to him from the expected reduction in national assignments and engagements after June 2019 can be unleashed to revive many of the structures at home and abroad needing attention. That will afford him the opportunity to put a lot of things in shape and position himself well to continue to serve the people of the state even better. Within that sphere, many of the observed lapses that allegedly led to the present situation would be corrected and improved upon. At the end of the day, Saraki will be re-entering the scene with greater energy and dynamism to serve people with a better understanding of their needs and wants and how to reach them better henceforth.
Effect of Saraki’s loss to Kwara
As the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki’s office has hundred of constituency projects that Kwara State and the people are meant to benefit from. Ranging from roads construction to renovation of schools, construction of drainages and erosion control channels as well as numerous empowerment programmes and appointments, the loss of the coveted seat will no doubt create a big vacuum in fulfilling the expectations of the people. There are presently close to five hundred indigenes of the state that will certainly lose their jobs as aides of the Senate President when the ninth National Assembly is constituted. This is aside the political advantage that such exalted position has leveraged and continues to influence for the state indigenes within and outside the country. Saraki’s successor will not have the institutional and individual resources to carry on such onerous task.
Economic Impact
Away from the official benefit of the office, the personal contributions of Saraki to many of the laudable humanitarian causes ongoing in the state are legendary and the vacuum will no doubt be difficult if not impossible to fill. Today, there are several numbers of mosques that have been constructed and renovated with others ongoing being undertaken by Bukola Saraki across the nooks and crannies of Kwara State. This is aside the several other multimillion naira gestures during Ramadan and other community get-together efforts to put the state on the global map. For instance, during the Holy month of Ramadan, Saraki’s philanthropic activities and funding of social programmes usually swell the volume of money in circulation in the the state with a corresponding increase in the micro and macro economies of the state and chain of people engage to provide food for fasting Muslims. It remains to be seen what will happen to the thousands of people presently on the payroll of Saraki personally and officially when his successor, Ibrahim Oloriegbe replace him at the senate as a first time lawmaker. Saraki also has the huge commitment on his shoulders as the custodian of many traditional tittles in the state many of which may run dry of the gesture from his office and person which had gone a long way in sustaining them.
An honoured path
Although Saraki has raised some issues with the outcome of the result of the election, his underlining statement to the whole scenario is instructive and gives a glimpse of what might lie ahead for him. According to some political analysts, it will be politically dangerous for the Senate President to allow those that defeated him to just run government the way they feel. As one that has served the state and country in the highest capacities, his views and experiences about governance and policies in the days ahead need to be heard and that can only be done through the media. It (media) was what the opposition also cultivated to harvest the political advantage they enjoy today. This becomes very important, especially when it will be the state and its citizens that will be the ultimate beneficiaries of such cross fertilisation of ideas from a conservative and progressive prism. And just like Senate President stated through his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu recently, that he wished the candidates that have emerged all the best in their attempts to serve “our people” whatever the final outcome of the election, adding that “It is my prayer that the good people of Kwara State will always have the best from any government both at the state and federal levels”.
Exceptional welfarist template
While it is still debatable if the new set of incoming opportunists will be able to rise above the ordinary to provide succour for the people in expectedly more difficult circumstance, Bukola Saraki is not likely to have any problem providing welfare for the people in need. According to him, “As a product of a family and a political structure that is, from its foundation, devoted to the service and development of our state and its people, it is my wish that our people will always have a good deal at all times. The new development will even provide the people the opportunity to compare and contrast. After all, the people who have emerged from last Saturday’s election are not my enemies. They are fellow Kwarans” and herein lies his spirit of sportsmanship which have been hailed by many actors, organisations and players within and outside the state.
WHAT OTHERS SAID ABOUT DEFEAT
But what are the views of other stakeholders about the defeat of Saraki? Scholars, legislators, politicians, traditional institutions including from the opposition who gave their comments in separate telephone interviews with this reporter on the issue offered advice on the way forward for the Senate President.
Not yet sunset – Kwara Speaker: According to the Speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly and former gubernatorial aspirant of the PDP, Dr Ali Ahmad, this is just a short eclipse and the sun will come out shining brighter again. Ali Ahmad, while praising lawmakers who contested but lost for their sportsmanship during Wednesday plenary noted that “As we have said, this (defeat) is just a short eclipse and not a sunset. The sun will come out shinning brighter again Inshaa Allah”.
There’s need for self re-examination – Prof Badmas: For the former Dean of Post Graduate Studies, University of Ilorin, Prof Lanre Badmas, the Senate President will bounce back but he advised him to take a self re-examination of the whole situation. According to him, Saraki still has age and support on his side and should understands that Allah gives power to whosoever He likes and strip it from any slave of His slaves, adding that Saraki should use this opportunity to foster his relationship with God. He however advised the incoming administration to carry everybody along and shun witch-hunting and victimisation of perceived enemies, but rather give appropriate attention to tertiary institutions in the state, especially the Kwara State College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies (CAILS).
“I think it is universally acceptable that the down fall of a man is not the end of his life. In politics; you contest election to win or lose. The incumbent President contested about four attempts before he won the seat. Personally, I don’t think this is the end of the political career of the Senate President. Age is still on his side and a lot of people still have regard for him believing that one day he is going to stage a comeback.
“But God is the giver of power to whomsoever He likes and also takes power from whomsoever He likes. If the Senate President can take a self re-examination to realise what he has done wrong and take a solemn attempt and resolution to right the wrongs whether it is between him and God or fellow human beings, I want to believe that he is certainly going to bounce back politically. If it is between him and God, to err is human and to forgive is divine, I am so sure that God will not be so hostile to people seeking his divine forgiveness or who realise they have made one mistake or the other in certain acts of omission or commission that nobody is above. Anyone claiming to be above mistakes is trying to arrogate to himself the unique attribute of God. In the final analysis, the Senate President should go back to the drawing board and normalise the relationship between himself and God and other people in spite of the allegation that some people betrayed him and others became fifth columnists overnight. So far, he has demonstrated the spirit of good sportsmanship by congratulating the winners of the election, especially when you look at it that many people are not even ready to play that kind of politics in the contemporary Nigeria. I have the belief that everything is in the hands of God. I would advice that he should not lose his team/group. Although, we are in the era of political prostitution and many people will forget the good times they have spent with him and you will see them jumping ship now. That is just temporary setback, no condition is permanent” he added.
For the incoming administration, Prof Badmas has this to say: “The government should try as much as possible to fulfil their campaign promises and not to victimise or witch-hunt people in the political opposition. They should run an open door administration and realise that Kwara belongs to everybody and carry everyone along as they have contributions to make to move the state forward. The new government should study the outgoing administration and avoid any area of pitfalls observed. But more importantly, people who have anything to claim from the incoming government should preoccupy the mind of the administration and efforts made within the first one hundred days in office to satisfy them. They should consider the issue of infrastructure especially in Ilorin metropolis. For the tertiary institutions in Kwara State, especially the Kwara State College of Arabic and Islamic Legal Studies (CAILS), appropriate attention and assistance should be given. CAILS is a product of community demand which led to its establishment by the government of Shaaba Lafiagi. Administration after administration have been trying to improve on what they have on ground except recently that no remarkable achievement for CAILS was made in the life of the outgoing administration. The incoming administration should put things right, right the wrongs and correct the anomalies in our educational system in the state”, he submitted.
We must be united, committed for 2023 – Isiaka Mogaji: According to a member of the dynasty and former chairman of the Kwara State Scholarship Board, Hon Isiaka Mogaji, in a telephone chat with our reporter on Wednesday, the incoming government may find it difficult to meet the huge expectations of Kwarans, especially in the light of the protracted economic doldrums that the present administration at the federal level has foisted on the people. Such huge deficit will be very difficult to fill by the opposition gladiators of the new government in the state. He believes this is one caveat that Saraki will explore to the maximum as a welfarist with a family tradition of excellence in meeting the yearnings and needs of his people. Hence, rather than calling it quit because of the result of the polls, he said Saraki must approach the next phase of his philanthropic activities with measured improvement.
“This (the defeat) cannot be the end of the dynasty, certainly not and this is not the first time that a leader of a particular society or state will lose election. Personally, I see this as the hand work of God, who actually wanted it to happen this way and it has come to pass. But the most important thing is for us to come together and be more united, committed and see what can be done to regain political power come 2023. There are certain areas that we feel are lacking and we will work closely to ensure that they are resolved and things are done in a better way than it used to be. The society is becoming larger and so is the political space and there are so many variables that we must take into consideration. Personally, I haven’t lost hope because these new set of people cannot meet the huge expectations of Kwarans, they are not united. Let us see what will happen in the next few months. It is a service to our community and let them also serve and people will now compare and contrast (just like Saraki noted)”, he added
He should establish and constitute foundation, intellectual think-tanks – Magaji Nda: But for the Magaji Nda of Ilorin, Alhaji Soliu Woru Muhammed, the time is ripe for Dr Bukola Saraki to establish a foundation in the name of his father to look into the education and welfare needs of the populace among other deluge of requests from the people. The traditional father believe it is time for the Senate President to constitute a think-tank of intellectuals who are indigenes of the state to continuously brainstorm on the next line of action for him.
“Losing an election cannot be the end of somebody’s life how much more the end of the dynasty? As far as I am concerned, this is temporary setback. Have we forgotten so soon the contribution of his late father to the politics of Kwara State and at the national level? Also, what about the massive contributions of Saraki as a two-term governor of the state and as a senator and Senate President of the country? Losing an election can never be the end of somebody’s life; you go back and re-energise. So Saraki should embark on massive reorganisation of his political structures and make medium like the National Pilot daily newspaper with wider reach. He should not relent but continue on what he has been doing that made him popular. He should try to communicate more with the people and not be deterred with the defeat. This is also the time for him to get radio licence and heavily invest in it. Saraki must constitute think tank of intellectuals like doctors, professors, engineers among others and put in place a foundation where he will centralise his philanthropic activities. He is not the first of great people that will lose election and if anybody thinks this will be the end of him, such person is living in fool’s paradise”, he noted.
Prospect to attain highest political ambition still exist – Rex Olawoye: In the words of the former Public Relations Officer of the PDP, Chief Rex Olawoye, now an APC stalwart, the Senate President can bounce back having learnt from the present situation.
“Losing an election is not the end of a man and God has His own plan for his (Saraki’s) life. He (Bukola Saraki) still has opportunity while still alive to climb to the highest radar of his political ambition. I think he has learnt that you don’t rely on things (or people) you don’t know but you assemble. And of course, one would expect that he would have learnt that he is not the only custodian of knowledge and wisdom which will serve him well going forward” he submitted.
