Recent reports have shown that Bukola Saraki is trying to find the ways to bury the hatchet of cold war with the APC leadership and Muhammadu Buhari after he hijacked the key positions in the Senate on June 9 with help of some PDP members. But it turned out that Buhari and the APC leaders refuse to accept Saraki’s apologies.
Saraki is seeking reconciliation with Buhari but it seems that the president of Nigeria is still angry with him – as well as the APC leaders
According to these reports, a group of senators loyal to Bukola Saraki have met Muhammadu Buhari this week with the purpose of finding ways of reconciliation with him and the leadership of the APC party.
The group included the Senate leader, Ali Ndume, accompanied by Senators Abdullahi Adamu, Adamu Aliero, Danjuma Goje and Kabiru Gaya.
Earlier Bukola Saraki reportedly arranged meetings with Olusegun Obasanjo and the Emir of Kano Lamido Sanusi with the same purpose of reconciliation.
According to some reports, Ndume also made a trip to Lagos to meet Bola Tinubu and the APC leadership on the same matter. However, these reports haven’t been verified by Ndume.
The press gathered evidence that the meeting of the group of Saraki’s loyalists with Buhari, which took place a couple of days ago at presidential villa in Abuja wasn’t successful.
It was reported previously that Muhammadu Buhari refused to host Bukola Saraki at Aso Rock since he emerged as the President of the Senate in the controversial election on June 9.
It seems like Saraki’s peace group wasn’t able to change Buhari’s point of view about that despite Saraki’s emissaries reportedly apologised for their own roles in the NASS crisis.
A source close to Ahmed Lawan who was supposed by Buhari and the APC to embrace the senate presidency, has told the press that “we were aware of the meeting between the President and the affected Senators,” adding that “they [Saraki’s loyalists] said they are after peace, but without putting options on the table.”
Another source in the APC party told the press that “Saraki’s loyalists stuck to their script which has put the Senate on the edge and created mutual distrust between the President and the Senate President.”
At the same time Lai Mohammed, the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, said that while he can’t comment on the issue of the meeting between Buhari and Saraki’s emissaries, “the APC has made its position on party supremacy known.”
A source in Tinubu’s camp confirmed that “Tinubu’s take is that the senate should toe the party line. It is not a personal problem at all. If it were a personal problem, the President won’t be reacting the same way.”
A source at the meeting with Buhari, who pleaded anonymity, reportedly said: “It was actually a family affair thing. When you see a threat looming, you do not need to wait till it becomes a bigger challenge.“
