Saraki says Senate President’s seat belongs to Kwara if Atiku becomes President

The Senate President, Bukola Saraki, has revealed that the position of the head of the National Assembly belongs to his native Kwara State if the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wins the presidential election.

The former Kwara governor said this when he visited the Olofa of Offa, Muftau Gbadamosi, at his palace on Sunday, January 28, 2019. He suggested that he’ll return as Senate President if the PDP is victorious in the February 16 presidential election.

“Since we joined the PDP, the party has honored Kwara State. They gave us DG of Campaign, National Leader of the party, and have agreed that if the party wins, Senate President is our slot in Kwara,” he said.

Saraki had defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the lead-up to the 2015 presidential election and was elected Senate President against the APC’s wishes after the party won the presidential election.

After falling out with President Muhammadu Buhari and the party’s top chieftains, Saraki dumped the APC for a return to the PDP in July 2018 and was appointed the party’s National Leader.

He was later appointed the Director General of the Atiku Abubakar presidential campaign organisation after losing the party’s ticket to the former vice president during its primary election in October.

The Senate President had been accused by the Nigeria Police Force of having a connection to a criminal gang that killed 33 people during a daring robbery operation in Offa last year. The case against him has since stalled.

While narrating his ordeal with the Federal Government on Sunday, Saraki said only the support of the people has ensured his survival.

He said, “If I have skeleton in my cupboard, this government would have silenced me and forced me to drop the campaign.

“But for God and the support of the people I would not be standing today. They didn’t want to honor our agreement. We all laboured and what they couldn’t get in three times they got it and we demanded that they give to Kwara what we deserve.

“We need to teach our seasonal politicians a lesson on the poll date. We want community development, let everybody come and contribute their quota to our communities; when Saraki do his own, let them too do their own.

“I heard that some politicians have been buying JAMB forms in 2019. The question to ask is where were they in 2016? Where were they in 2017?”

The February 16 presidential election is expected to be keenly-contested between Atiku and President Buhari.