Unknown to many, President Muhammed Buhari secretly gave his blessings to the emergence of Olusola Saraki as the Senate President.
A close aide to Saraki who spoke to Daily Review Online on the conditions of anonymity said Saraki did not leave the President in dark as to his ambition.
“He gave him his blessings and said if he was the wish of his colleagues that he would not interfere. Yesterday he also spoke with the President and gave him reasons why the choice of a supposed godfather for the Senate President may eventually create problems of control for the President.
“When Buhari was told there were attempts to postpone the election by sealing the National Assembly, he told the Inspector General of Police to ensure that the inauguration of the Assembly was not stopped. He refused to impress it on the Clerk of the Senate to postpone the inauguration.
“Let me tell you, Buhari will succeed with the leadership of the National Assembly under Saraki. The plan has been to tone down the power and influence Tinubu is wielding in the power which is dangerous to the success of the change mantra everybody is preaching.
“The new leadership of the Senate will pay a courtesy call on the President and pledge it’s allegiance in a matter of days,” the aide said.
Just before he travelled for the G7 meeting, the attention of the President was drawn to crisis among the party leaders over the choice of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House.
Instead of acting on the reports, Buhari had referred the matter to the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, and asked him to take steps to douse the tension being generated over the election of the two principal officers. This was in keeping with his earlier stand not to meddle in the affairs of the Nationa Asembly.
It would be recalled that two days before his inauguration, Buhari had in a statement in Abuja said he would not interfere with the selection of the leadership of the National Assembly, “in view of the continued name-dropping in some circles linking him with some candidates.
“I am prepared to work with any leaders that the House or Senate selects.
“It doesn’t matter who the person is or where he or she is from. There is due process for the selection of leaders of the National Assembly… and I will not interfere in that process.”