What is most likely going to be Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki’s next move? Is he going to decamp to SDP or join APC? Or will he stay on in PDP?
Those are the big questions many people have been asking for quite some time now.
For months now he has been quiet though he has continued to play politics.
In fact since his mum died, he has kept mum until recently when news broke that he was likely to move to SDP, a news that was promptly denied. He has come out to openly say that he is still in PDP and that he will remain in the party. …CONTINUE READING
When recently Okowa, the Delta Governor and his team decamped to APC, he came out to say, the exit of the Delta group and other PDP statwart will not affect the party.
Saraki believes a strong opposition is crucial for Nigeria’s Democracy and that PDP can still thrive despite recent defections, such as what happened in Delta State. He says he is committed to staying in the party and working towards its success, particularly in the 2027 election.
Saraki’s stance on the recent defections is that those who want to leave should do so now, enabling the party to have a clear view of its members loyalty.
Saraki’s vision for the PDP involves rebuilding and refocusing the party to play a more effective role in the country’s space.
Dr. Bukola Saraki’s game plan revolves around positioning himself for political advantages, as it relates to 2027 presidential elections. Insiders say he is most likely to run for presidency in 2027. Recall that Saraki declared his intention to run for presidency in 2023.
Saraki by nature is usually very strategic in his moves. His political moves are usually subject to interpretation and most times his ultimate goals are usually more complex than what is publicly known.
Many of his loyalists say he has his eyes on the Presidency, having paid his dues politically. They usually recall how he has served in various capacities.
He served as the 13th President of the Senate from 2015 to 2019. He was elected President of the 8th Senate on 9 June 2015 under the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He previously served as Kwara governor from 2003 to 2011 and was elected to the Senate in 2011, under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), representing the Kwara Central Senatorial District. He was then re-elected in the 2015 general elections on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He left the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and returned to his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he became the opposition leader, on 31 July 2018. Saraki declared his presidential campaign for the PDP presidential ticket in the 2019 election, but lost the primaries to Atiku Abubakar. He was subsequently announced as the Director General of Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign for the 2019 presidential election, which he lost to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari. Now, he is 63. He also has a rich pedigree that can help him.
Saraki was born on 19 December 1962 in London to Florence Morenike Saraki and Olusola Saraki, who was a Senator in the Nigerian Second Republic. Bukola Saraki is married to Toyin Saraki (née Ojora). They have four children. Popular among his children are Seni and Tosin Saraki.
Saraki was educated at King’s College, Lagos, where he graduated in 1978. He attended Cheltenham College, a public boarding school in the United Kingdom from 1979 to 1981. He then proceeded to London Hospital Medical College of the University of London from 1982 to 1987, where he obtained a Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery.
Saraki worked as a medical officer at the Rush Green Hospital, Essex, from 1988 to 1989. He was a director of Société Générale Bank (Nigeria) Ltd from 1990 to 2000. In 2000, President Olusegun Obasanjo appointed Saraki as Special Assistant on Budget.
In 2003, Bukola Saraki ran for Governor of Kwara State on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) defeating the incumbent Governor Muhammed Lawal of the defunct All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP). On 29 May 2003, he was sworn into office and was re-elected in 2007.
As governor of Kwara, Saraki led reforms in agriculture, infrastructure, health, education, power generation and environment policy. One of his major achievements was inviting displaced white farmers from Zimbabwe to Kwara State and offering them an opportunity to farm. This led to the establishment of Shonga Farms programme, which is now being replicated across Nigeria. He was also appointed as the chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ forum.
Under Saraki, Kwara became the first state to complete the Nigeria Independent Power Project. In collaboration with the Power Holding Company of Nigeria, Saraki re-energised the Ganmo Power Station at Ilorin, and connected over 3,750 rural communities to the national grid, through the development and installation of 725 transformers and 7 substations. Kwara also completed 4 electrification projects which meant power became stable 18–22 hours a day. 90% of people living in Kwara have access to electricity, compared to a national average in Nigeria of 30%.
In 2007, Saraki became Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum. As Chairman, Saraki increased his national influence and he led efforts for a more reformed and unified relationship with other states governors. The Forum also developed better and more extensive polio immunisation in Nigeria. Signing a number of Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs), with a number of international organizations including the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, World Bank, DFID, GAVI, UNICEF, UNDP.
In 2011, after the completion of his 2 term tenure as Governor of Kwara State, Saraki ran for Senator representing the Kwara Central Senatorial District. He won, succeeding his sister, Gbemisola Saraki-Forowa. He was appointed the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Environment and Ecology and was also a member of the Senate Committee on Capital Markets and Finance. Senator Saraki has campaigned extensively on health, food security, education and the environment – arguing for strengthened laws on the clean up of oil spills.
After his re-election in 2015 general elections, he was on 9 June 2015 elected unopposed as President of the Senate by an across the party alliance comprising PDP and APC Senators. Saraki had faced stiff opposition from Senator Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan who was a preferred candidate by a group of senators-elect within the APC. His deputy, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, emerged after a tightly contested election.
During his presidency, the Senate under his leadership has surpassed all previous Senate’s in history, passing 201 bills and clearing 138 public petitions.
On 6 June 2019, Saraki gave the valedictory speech at the final plenary of the 8th Senate.
In 2011, Saraki declared his candidacy for the Peoples Democratic Party for the presidential primaries, but later stepped down in support of the Northern consensus candidate, Atiku Abubakar. Saraki is currently a member of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and was previously a member of the All Progressives Congress (APC). He defected from the All Progressives Congress on 31 July 2018, some days after 14 Senators defected to the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP). He blamed his defection on intolerance of the influential persons of his former party. Saraki declared his presidential campaign for the PDP presidential ticket in the 2019 election, but lost at the primaries to Atiku Abubakar.
He was subsequently announced as the Director General of Atiku Abubakar’s presidential campaign for the 2019 presidential election, which he lost to incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari. As a result of a 2018 anti-Saraki dynasty sentiment called the Ó To Ge Movement, Saraki lost his senatorial seat to APC’s Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe. He polled a total of 68,994 votes against Oloriegbe’s 123,808 votes in the 4 Local Government Areas of Kwara Central Senatorial District, a huge margin of more than 54,000 votes. In January 2022, Saraki declared he was running for the office of the president under the umbrella of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2023 General election.
He was defeated by Atiku Abubakar who pulled the highest votes with 371 votes, followed by Nyesom Wike with 237 votes and Saraki with 70 votes at the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary election which held at MKO Abiola National stadium, Abuja on 28 and 29 May 2022.
Dr Bukola Saraki has consistently fought and rejected all claims of Corruption against his person, and has won a series of court cases to that effect— He has also described the allegations as political vendettas and “witch-hunts” Unlike most of his political contemporaries, Saraki was significantly wealthy having earned a sizeable fortune from successful business ventures before joining Politics in 2000.
In July 2018, the Supreme Court of Nigeria absolved Saraki of all charges brought against him by the Federal Government of Nigeria – declaring that Saraki’s asset declarations throughout his public service career were “accurate and correct”.
– City People
