Saraki didn’t snub Buhari – Forum

As divergent views continue to trail the election of Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki as the president of the Senate, a group called Abubakar Bukola Saraki Leadership Forum in Kwara State has denied insinuations that the Saraki snubbed President Muhammadu Buhari in his bid to clinch the position .

Addressing a press conference, yesterday, Leader of the forum, Alhaji Usman Bibire Ajape, described the emergence of Saraki as a landmark event, equating it to the change witnessed on March 28.

The forum urged party leaders “to allow Buhari to govern as promised and not destroy his hard earned image by dragging the Presidency into matters that he has obviously made known his stance; to work with whoever emerges as the Senate President”.

Ajape said Saraki, as one of the leaders of All Progressives Congress (APC), like the former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was interested in the development of APC.

“It is cheap thinking to harbour thoughts that a man who worked tirelessly to deliver Kwara to APC, at so much expense, dumping the ruling party, for a party in embryo, would be rooting for the destruction of such party.”

The group said fixing a separate meeting to the time of inauguration of the National Assembly flied in the face of the change APC promised. “The inauguration is a national activity, not a party activity,” Ajape said.

He commended Buhari for “holding true to his words of non- interference with the politics of the National Assembly even in the facade of inordinate pressure to act otherwise”.

Ajape expressed support for Saraki, saying: “His emergence is only but a glue to solidify our dear party as the victory of APC wasn’t without his input”. His election, he added, has made the nPDP to be represented in the power sharing arrangement of the APC.