POST PDP PRIMARY: ITS TIME FOR SARAKI TO QUIT POLITICS

By Babatunde Olokooba

With his crashing at the just concluded Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary election , it may just be the right time for Senator Bukola Saraki to throw in the towel in partisan politics and save his family name .
Reports from the sidelines of the primary indicate that his dismal performance, despite the media hypes, throws him up as a perpetual loser in all elections in recent times .
This is the 4th time Saraki lost woefully in critical elections .
During the 2015 Presidential primaries among Nothern aspirants , Saraki lost woefully to the former Vice President ,Atiku Abubakar .
In the Presidential primaries of the party in Port Harcourt ,Saraki lost woefully in the primaries and later worked against his party .
In 20 19 , Bukola was completely humiliated in his home State , Kwara State , losing out all seats to the APC winning team under Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq as the new Executive Governor and leader of the State .
Not only did he lose his return bid to the Senate , all his candidates in Governorship , National and State’s Assemblies lost to APC .
Humiliated out of the State by the results of the 2019 elections , those who are close to him said it was then Saraki first mooted the idea of throwing in the towel in partisan politics .
Based on the disorientation and grave disbelief he suffered from the 2019 elections , he had refused to reach out to majority of his lieutenants and rebuffed most requests for assistance and guidance .
The Inspiration for him to give the presidency another shot came from his marabout who prophecized that he would be Nigeria President in 2023 and that he may regain control of Kwara political leadership .
Saraki was said to have regained enthusiasm and hope by this prophecy but he was said to have maintained a calculated lean purse in his political financing .
Some sources close to him claimed he might have lived on tactical sponsorship of his sister Gbemisola Saraki and a fellow Presidential aspirant.
Currently , Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq’s most impressive performance in all sectors in 3 years and his leadership style particularly in prudent transparent management of resources as different from the corruptive legacies of 16 years of PDP under Saraki’s leadership in Kwara appears to have given Governor AbdulRahaman a clean bill and easy ride to his 2023 2nd term bid .
Notwithstanding being secretly funded by his sister, Gbemi, the current acting Minister of Transport in President Buharis government, an intriguing plan lost on Aso Rock, the duo cannot match the financial fire power of the APC key members in Kwara.
Apart from being a self made billionaire , Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has endless list of young multi- billionaires with him in all the 3 senatorial districts in the Sate .
The list includes the famous business mogul Hajia Muinat Bola Sagaya , Salihu Mustapha , APC Senatorial candidate who beat the incumbent Dr. Yahaya Oloriegbe in the just concluded primaries in Kwara Senatorial district and Mashood Mustapha , a former National Assembly member .
Others include Yahaya Sarki , a very successful entrepreneur and loyalist of Governor AbdulRahaman Abdul Razaq .
Governor Abdul Rahaman AbdulRazaq ‘s die hard loyalists include high flying corporate executives and businessmen in Kwara South and Kwara North .
Lately , all the traditional rulers in the State , led by the Emir of Ilorin ,Dr. Ibrahim Sulu- Gambari endorsed AbdulRahaman ‘s 2nd term in appreciation of his AbdulRahaman performance in governance . The vast majority of youths , women and stakeholders across the State have endorsed Governor AbdulRahaman and indeed APC for a 2nd term .
Elites from Kwara who reside in major cities such as Abuja , Lagos , Kano , Kaduna and Port Harcourt have resolved to deny the Saraki dynasty access to power in Kwara State again
At both state and national levels , Saraki appears to have squandered and lost the golden opportunity he had to consolidate on the political legacies of his late father .
In fact , many locals in his Ilorin home town believe that the law of Karma behind his current political tragedy can be traced to curses his late father rained on him on his hospital bed because of the humiliation he suffered from him at the time the father had reposed all confidence on Bukola to be his political savior .
Bukola’s former supporters and die hard loyalists , in their thousands , accross the State are reportedly holding meetings with Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq to decamp enmasse to APC in the next few weeks .
Vice President Atiku Abubakar , unlike 2019 when he appointed Saraki as his Presidential Campaign Director General is said to have lost confidence in Saraki and will not trust him in any sensitive office .
In the build up to the primaries , Saraki tried to play a fast one on his fellow aspirants by foisting a consensus on them. A committee headed by Professor Ango Abdullahi could not reach a deal among Aspirants but Saraki issued a statement claiming he has been endorsed as the annointed candidate. This was discovered to be false in a interview granted with Professor Abdullahi
Two of the Aspirants Governor Aminu Tambuwal and Mohammed Hayyatudeen took their pound of flesh from Saraki by withdrawing at the last minute at the Presidential primary to ensure smooth emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the party flag bearer for 2023 .
Finally , we must note Saraki’s blunder in zoning PDP Governorship ticket to Kwara North at a time Ilorin and the State are witnessing the best of governance in the State under Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq .This is seen by the many Kwarans as the final straw that will break the Camel’s back .
Governor AbdulRahaman AbdulRazaq is currently being celebrated for his uncommon political strategy which has brought together the best of the State in all the candidates running with him for 2023 .
The likes of Saliu Mustspha ,the current Turaki of Ilorin and APC Senatorial candidate for Kwara Central , Senator Abubakar Sadique for Kwara North and Senator Ashiru for Kwara South, Mukhtar Sagaya for Asa/ Ilorin West Rep. Yinka Aluko for Ilorin East and South Rep , the son of former Governor of the State , C.O. Adebayo and Tajudeen Abioye for Reps.in Kwara South , Bio and other in Kwara North and all for the State House of Assembly including not less than 5 popular female candidates in fulfillment of gender inclusiveness puts APC team as the best winning team to repeat the 2019 landslide victory for the party in 2023 .
Indeed Many supporters of Saraki vowed that “ Oga is done with party politics with this his crashing again in the just concluded PDP presidenti canal primary election .”
We hope Saraki will heed the wise counsel by bowing out and save his family name.

Babatunde Olokooba writes from Ilorin