Saraki’s Trial: PDP Plots To Pick Senate President

Barely 24 hours after the arraignment of Senate President
Bukola Saraki, some of his loyalists and Peoples Democratic
Party(PDP) senators are planning to fight back, The Nation
has learnt.
They are said to be working on a plan which will lead to the
election of a new Senate President from the opposition
party, should Saraki be convicted by the Code of Conduct
Tribunal (CCT) – the “worst case scenario”.
Security agencies already know about the plot, it was learnt.
Besides, there were signs yesterday that pro-Saraki
senators may have “laid an ambush” for President
Muhammadu Buhari’s ministerial list, which is being
expected at the Senate “any moment from now”.
They may reject the list and all appointments made so far
by the President in protest against Saraki’s trial, a source
said.
But the Presidency is unruffled.
A source, who spoke in confidence, said last night: “Some
loyalists of Saraki and PDP senators have been meeting on
the options available and how to tackle President
Muhammadu Buhari.
“At the meeting in Abuja, they resolved to stand by Saraki
but if he is convicted, they will make sure that the next
president of the Senate is from the PDP.
“They are really aggrieved and have vowed to stop the
candidate of the Unity Forum, Sen. Ahmed Lawan, from
emerging as Saraki’s successor.
“From the way PDP and its senators are rallying around
Saraki, no one needs a soothsayer to know that a bigger
conspiracy is in the offing.
“The PDP has not come to terms with the fact that it lost the
last general elections.”
Part of the plot is to reject Buhari’s ministerial list and all
appointments so far made by the President, it was learnt.
These appointments include those of the Federal Inland
Revenue Service, Nigerian Communications Commission
(NCC), Nigerian Customs Service(NCS) and a$$ets
Management Company of Nigeria (AMCON), among others.
The source went on: “They know that the President will not
present imposed candidates as ministerial nominees and
they are out for a pound of flesh as from September 29
because the Code of Conduct Bureau( CCB) dragged the
President of the Senate to the Code of Conduct Tribunal
(CCT)”
It was gathered that security agencies have smashed the
plot.
A government source said: “The whole plot is aimed at
frustrating the President and cause a political crisis in the
country.
“They have this feeling that they must pull down the house
due to the arraignment of Saraki by CCT. In spite of denial,
they are pointing accusing fingers at the Presidency for
Saraki’s travails.”
Attempts to make loyalists of tHouse of Representatives
Speaker Yakubu Dogara, to pitch their tent with Saraki
appear to have suffered a setback.
It was learnt that although Saraki backed Dogara to become
the Speaker, the “template has changed”.
Dogara and his loyalists would prefer to “facilitate
reconciliation between the Presidency and the Senate
leadership than taking sides”.
A Dogara supporter said: “There is pressure on our camp to
take a hard line position on the trial of Saraki but we will
rather broker peace than compound the situation.
“We are not betraying anyone but we believe the challenge
at hand is resolvable. If we compound the situation to team
up against the Presidency, we will all fail.
“To take sides is to set the House on fire all over. This will
not augur well for the new National a$$embly.”
Source: TheNation