The nomination of Senator Rukaya Gbemisola Saraki for ministerial appointment by President Muhammdu Buhari has been greeted with excitement and anger by various political groups in the state.
Since the news of Saraki’s nomination for the ministerial job filtered into the state, various political groups have been expressing divergent views on the propriety or otherwise of the development.
While some expressed delight over Gbemisola’s nomination, others were not too impressed for obvious political reasons.
The endorsement of Gbemisola’s nomination came first from the unexpected quarters – the Sarakites in the fold of the state’s chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who are loyal to the immediate past Senate President, Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki.
Bukola and his immediate younger sister, Gbemisola had parted ways since 2011 when the former did not support the gubernatorial ambition of his sister.
As a way of revenging, Gbemisola had pitched her tents behind the political opponents of Bukola in the 2019 general elections, which Saraki’s PDP lost across board in the state.
The ministerial slot given Gbemisola by the All Progressives Party led federal government, must therefore be a compensation for her support for the party during the last general elections.
Immediately, the news of Gbemisola’s nomination as a minister was made public, the social media boys of Senator Bukola Saraki wasted no time in celebrating the development through various write ups in the social media.
To them, Gbemisola’s nomination as one of the ministers from the state was a sort of the ‘ resurrection’ of the Saraki political dynasty which many had thought had gone into oblivion with Bukola Saraki’s defeat in the last general elections.
Besides, some members of the state APC caucus also viewed the nomination of Gbemisola as minister, as restoration of the Saraki dynasty in the state. The group said that already, her announcement as a minister-designate had thrown the defeated Saraki dynasty into celebration moods.
The APC Caucus Chairman and Secretary Yusuf Mohammed and Buhari Aliyu
added that if they had their way with President Buhari, “we would have preferred another person from the state to replace Senator Gbemisola Saraki in order to save the people of the state the nightmare of going back to the dark days of the Saraki reign again.”
They, however, hailed the president for re-nominating Alhaji Lai Mohammed as
minister-designate, adding that “we wish however, like to state that we have received the nomination of Senator Gbemisola Saraki with mixed feelings.
“We are very apprehensive of the fact that as the saying goes, ‘blood is thicker than water.’ Therefore, we are afraid that the appointment of Senator Gbemisola Saraki as a minister, is likely to bring back the
sad memories of the retrogressive political activities of the Saraki dynasty, which impacted negatively on the lives of majority of the people of the state.
“We are of the belief that we have been able to defeat and wean ourselves from the Saraki’s negative political influences and strongholds that have left bitter and sour tastes in the mouths of majority of the people of the state during the divinely inspired victory of the people in the last general elections in the state.
“However, we are now very worried and unhappy that the appointment of Senator Gbemisola Saraki as a minster, would most likely provide easy access and platform, which shall be employed to bring back this era of the misrule and financial rape that were imposed on us in Kwara state, during the past 16 years of political control by the Saraki dynasty which Senator Gbemisola Saraki was also an active participant.”
In its own reaction, another APC group, Kwara New Era Movement, threw its weight behind the nomination of Gbemisola as a minister.
The group took a swipe at those kicking against the former lawmaker’s nomination, alleging that they were acting the script of some elements hell-bent in creating disaffection in the ruling party.
At a media briefing held at the secretariat of the group along Alore, Ilorin, the state capital,its president, Tajudeen Abojumeji and a stakeholder of the party, Engr. Yusuf Obalowu, stated that they had followed the negative criticisms that trailed the nomination of Gbemisola Saraki, which they described as unnecessary.
The APC stalwarts opined that President Muhammadu Buhari committed no offence in picking Gbemisola for ministerial appointment, adding that it was deserving in view of her past records and antecedents.
Abojumeji described the nomination of the duo of Gbemisola Saraki and Lai Mohammed, as an uncommon gesture in the history of the state and pledged the support of the group to the choice of Gbemisola, pointing out that her achievements in the past had built confidence in the people that she would do better if given another opportunity.
“We, the good people of Kwara New Era Movement wish to use this opportunity to express our deep appreciation to our dear President Muhammadu Buhari for finding our daughter and brother Senator Gbemisola Saraki and Alhaji Lai Mohammed worthy to be nominated as Ministers. We consider it as an uncommon gesture in the history of our dear Kwara State.
Also speaking, Obalowu said that the group has discovered some elements under sponsorship of some forces, who were out to disparage and launch a campaign of calumny against the former female lawmaker.
He said, we discovered that there are some unknown elements who were trying to cause disharmony and disunity in Kwara regarding the nomination of Senator Gbemisola Saraki and we feel that being a citizen and bonafide daughter of Ajikobi in Ilorin, we want to tell fellow Nigerians and Kwarans that there was no iota of truth in what anybody was saying negatively about Senator Gbemisola Saraki”.
Also, Kwara North Youth Movement, a group under the banner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is unhappy over what it termed “ostracisation” of the senatorial district from the choice of ministerial nominees in Kwara state.
The group noted that though it was the prerogative of President Muhammadu Buhari to appoint whoever he feels he could work with, the people of Kwara North were in utter shock that the peculiarity of the state was not considered in the selection of the nominees.
The Coordinator, Kwara North APC Youth Movement, Zubair Aliyu Rogun, said the zone was considered for a ministerial slit despite the huge sacrifice of the senatorial district for the party.
Rogun, who was flanked by other leaders of the group during the briefing clarified that the prerogative of the President was incontestable on his choice of nominees, but maintained that the nomination of Kwara two politicians did not take into account the peculiar circumstance of the state and the contribution of Kwara North to the victory of the APC in the last general elections.
He urged President Buhari to consider equity, fairness and justice in the state’s case with a view to ensuring even representation in public offices.
“We wish to appreciate President Muhammadu Buhari for considering Kwara State with two Ministerial nominations. We however, wish to express our shock and grievance with the absence of a Kwara Northerner as a Ministerial nominee to the notice of the President and the general public.
“While we understand that the choice of who becomes a Minister to represent Kwara State at the Federal Executive Council is the prerogative of the President, we are however, seriously pained that this prerogative did not consider the peculiar circumstance of Kwara State vis-a-vis power sharing since 1999 to date; federal appointments and the 2019 electoral performance analysis among the three senatorial district of Kwara State.
“In view of the foregoing, we most humbly urge the President, as a father of all, to always take equity, fairness and justice in Kwara’s case into a greater consideration going forward.
“From 1999 to 2011, Kwara Central Senatorial District produced Governor for 12 uninterrupted years, while Kwara South Senatorial District also governed the State for eight years respectively. Kwara North Senatorial District, based on equity, fairness and justice, ought to have produced the Governor after long 20 years at the last general election, but in the interest of peace and progress of the State of Harmony, we humbly sacrificed our rightful opportunity and paid a great price to propel these administrations to victory.”
Meanwhile, the Senate, had on Monday confirmed the nomination of GRS (Gbemisola Rukaya Saraki) as fondly called by her admirers and suppoters, as a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria after the Senate President Mohammed Lawan asked her to take a bow and leave during the screening of some ministerial nominees at the Senate chambers.
Source: Leadership
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