President Muhammadu Buhari has accused the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki of dividing the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) by insisting on contesting for that position.
The President made the allegation in an exclusive interview with ARISE News, television network on Sunday night after the dinner held for the heads of government attending the 25th African Union summit in Johannesburg, South Africa.
Explaining his role and those of other party leaders that threatened to destroy the party, Buhari said his party planned to present consensus candidates for the leadership of the National Assembly.
“There is a system in the National Assembly – the House of Representatives and the Senate – they have got their own criteria for choosing their leaders.
“We had a meeting and I told the party’s caucus that I’m not going to interfere, because constitutionally, I have no role as president-elect to tell the party who to recommend or put (forward) as a candidate.
“The party didn’t want to present two candidates because if they presented two candidates, what we heard occurred (would have) eventually happened”.
Alluding to the deal struck by Saraki with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the National Assembly, Buhari observed that “one of the candidates went and got the support of the former ruling party, and he divided our party”.
“That was why the party was not pleased about it. The party ran a primary and the one (Senator Ahmad Lawan) who was competing with Saraki won to become APC’s candidate in the Senate.
“But then Saraki did not agree with that; he virtually divided the party and he got the support of the PDP and he allowed a PDP senator to become his deputy”, he added.
Buhari, however, stated that he was not particularly interested in the outcome of the National Assembly election, because it was “purely a party affair”.
Referring to the party’s presidential primary which was resolved in his favour, he said: “For example, when we came to our party’s primary for the presidential election, four of us stood (in the primary). There was no problem because it is part of the system.
“I happened to win and they agreed there and then that we should all work for the party. But unfortunately, in this National Assembly, there was a division. So it’s up to them (legislators) to sort it out”.
