Revealed: How The Plot To Take Over Senate Leadership By Buhari Loyalists Failed

Saraki And Ekweremadu (File Photo)

Plans To Unseat Saraki And Ekweremadu In Senate Fails

More details have started emerging as regards the political Tsunami which swept across the National Assembly yesterday, resulting in several lawmakers dumping the APC for other parties.

Several sources have confirmed to Premium times that the drama at the National Assembly was part of a grand plan by politicians loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari to change the leadership of the Senate.

The plan was however not successful, Naija News understands.

According to the sources, the script started playing out with the invitation on Monday night by the Nigerian Police for Senate President Bukola Saraki to appear before it to explain some part of his statement on his alleged involvement with arrested suspected perpetrators of the bloody Offa bank robbery which occurred in April.

Tuesday morning, also ushered in stories that security operatives have laid siege on the Abuja residences of Nigeria’s Senate President, Bukola Saraki, as well as that of his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, reportedly blocking their convoys from driving out of their residences.

The Police have however since denied been involved in any such action, claiming in a statement by its spokesperson, Jimoh Moshood that security operatives seen around the residence were those in Mr. Saraki’s convoy and security detail.

A security source familiar with the matter however confirmed to PREMIUM TIMES that the plan was actually for Saraki to be arrested by the police at that point.

Simultaneously, operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) also besieged the residence of Mr Ike Ekweremadu who was expected to preside over Senate plenary in Saraki’s absence.

It was later revealed that the EFCC had requested Mr Ekweremadu in a letter dated July 24 (the same day), to report to the EFCC at 10 a.m. in connection with a case of “conspiracy, abuse of office and money laundering” which it claimed it was investigating.

“This commission is investigating the above mentioned case in which your name feature prominently and the need to obtain certain clarification from you become imperative,” the letter partly reads.

An unnamed  government source had said some loyalists of President Buhari in the upper legislative chamber, sold the idea of taking over the Senate leadership to some officials of government after it appeared almost impossible to stop the planned defection by some aggrieved members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The siege was therefore planned as a ploy to take out the two presiding officers from the Senate on the same day, and thereby creating a vacuum.

The spokesperson for EFCC, Wilson Uwujaren, could not be reached to clarify his organisation’s roles in the saga as his telephone was switched off.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that Buhari loyalists, reportedly led by the Senate Majority Leader, Ahmed Lawan, had planned to use the vacuum expected to be created to invoke the Senate Rules to appoint Senate President pro-tempo, paving the way for the sacking of the two principal officers.

Attempts to get Mr Lawan’s reaction failed as his known telephone line was not going through. He also did not respond to a text message sent to him.

A principal actor in the anti-Saraki camp who requested not to be named, however disclosed Tuesday morning that inability to reach a decision on who succeeds Dr. Saraki resulted in a failure of the plan.

“There is too much hypocrisy and selfishness. Those who planned it wanted to be the sole beneficiaries of the leadership change,” the senator said.

A decision among the senators on who succeeds Mr Saraki, in the event the plot succeeded, reportedly punctured the plan as some of those involved reportedly leaked the secret to Mr. Saraki, who took immediate steps to counter the plans.

Ali Ndume, a former Senate Leader, was also said to be in the running to emerge new Senate President had the plan gone ahead successfully.

Mr Ndume however claimed ignorance of the plan when contacted Tuesday afternoon.

“I just got back to Abuja last night. I cannot comment,” he said.

Naija News recalls that it remains unclear how Dr. Bukola Saraki escaped the siege at his house to emerge at the National Assembly were he eventually led other Senators in plenary on Tuesday, 24th July, 2018 but a source told PREMIUM TIMES that Mr Saraki did not sleep in his house the previous night after getting news of plans to unseat him by Tuesday morning.

Saraki however told his colleagues, that he escaped on the “intervention of the almighty God”.