PDP Will Take Over Senate Presidency If Saraki’s Removed – Senator Nwaboshi

Bukola-Saraki

 

The senator representing Delta South District on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Peter Nwaboshi, has expressed confidence that the PDP will take over the Senate Presidency from the All Progressives Congress (APC) if the current occupier of the position, Bukola Saraki (APC, Kwara central) is removed.

Following Saraki’s trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal for alleged false declaration of assets when he was governor of Kwara State between 2003 and 2011, there have been speculations that the PDP has been positioning to take over the number three seat of the country.

Mr. Saraki emerged Senate President on June 9, 2015 largely due to the support he got from senators elected on the platform of PDP, to the chagrin of his party, the APC, which had a preferred candidate for the position in the person of Senator Ahmed Lawan (APC, Yobe North).

At the moment, the red chamber is roughly divided between the APC and PDP with 58 and 44 senators respectively while the Labour Party has one senator.

The numbers could further increase for either the APC or PDP as reruns for six Senatorial Districts are being conducted.

In an interview yesterday, Nwaboshi said his party would produce the next Senate president if Saraki was forced out of the seat.

The senator, who chairs the Committee on Niger Delta, described the former Kwara governor’s trial as a blackmail, adding that the PDP was ready to replicate the current system in the United States of America, where the Republican Party is in charge of the parliament, while the Democrats are in control of the executive.

“I was the first to address the press in Port Harcourt and I told them that Saraki was going to win the Senate Presidency and I gave them my reasons. Eventually, we went there, he won. If, but God forbids, because we don’t see it coming, by chance Saraki is removed; I can tell you that the PDP will produce the next Senate President.

“We only need three and we have it. The calculation is very clear to me. The calculation is very clear for the PDP. We know what it will take us. When I told them that Saraki was going to win, I did a lot of mathematical calculations based on the facts on the ground and it is even clearer to me now that the PDP will win it. We will win it.

“If anybody is thinking that a PDP man is going to vote against a PDP candidate, he is telling you a lie. We have people and we know how to get the people from the APC. We will win and that will be very interesting. I can tell you with what’s on the ground that we will produce the next Senate President”, he said.

Meanwhile, the APC Senate caucus is leaving nothing to chance as fence-mending moves have begun to unite the senators, who became divided following the emergence of Saraki as Senate President.

The reconciliatory moves are being spearheaded by the former governor of Sokoto state, Senator Aliyu Wamakko (APC, Sokoto North).