THROWBACK: Saraki won’t contest against Buhari in 2019 – Senate President’s Chief of Staff
In November 2017, the Chief of Staff to Senate President Bukola Saraki, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, said his boss would not contest against President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential election.
Nine months later on Thursday, however, Mr Saraki declared to run for the office under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
At the time his aide made the statement last year, Mr Saraki was a chieftain of Mr Buhari’s All Progressives Congress (APC).
Last week, he defected from the ruling party to the PDP from where he had moved to the APC in 2014.
Mr Baba-Ahmed in July himself quit the APC after accusing the the party of gross incompetence. Before his defection, he was with a group in the party that had a prolonged conflict with the governor of his home Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai.
At the time Mr Baba-Ahmed opted out of the APC, Mr Saraki dissociated himself from the development, saying it should not be taken as an indication of his own plan.
Back then last November, Mr. Baba-Ahmed on a weekly Hausa radio programme and as reported by Daily Trust newspaper, said if Mr Buhari decides to seek reelection, Mr Saraki would not contest.
He said the reason was because the senate president “sees and respect President Buhari as a father” and would rather work with the president than contest against him.
Mr Baba-Ahmed said: “There is no way Senator Bukola Saraki will contest for president in 2019 as long as President Buhari will contest. This I know very well because I work with him and I should know that.”
“But if President Buhari says he will not re-contest the position, that is a different case. The Senate President will not contest against President Buhari because he sees and respected him as a father.”
“The same thing happened in 2011 and 2015 if you remember. Saraki declined to contest against him; instead, he joined others to work for the success of the President in the 2015 elections,” he said.
However, should Mr Saraki emerge the PDP candidate, he would not only contest against Mr Buhari, he would be the major opposition candidate.
