The former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki said that the current political coalition by some former governors against President Bola Tinubu might not work.
Saraki disclosed
that five governors of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were already on their to way to join the ruling party, APC.
During a recent visit to Ilorin for the Nikkah ceremony of the Mufti of Ilorin, Sheikh Suleiman Faruk Onikijipa, Saraki reportedly met with a select group of loyalists at his Broadway residence.
At the private gathering, the former governor was said to have shared his assessment of the political landscape.
A senior insider at the meeting told Daily Trust that Saraki categorically ruled out any plan to return to the APC, blaming such rumours on certain APC actors attempting to sow the seed of confusion.
“We discussed it during the meeting and he debunked it,” the source said.
Regarding the ongoing merger talks among opposition figures, the source disclosed that Saraki was sceptical about the feasibility of registering a new party or getting the best out of any of the already registered ones before the 2027 polls.
“He believes Tinubu, being a smart politician, won’t allow INEC to register any new political party. Besides, many governors from both APC and PDP have pledged loyalty to the president in hopes of securing their political futures,” he added.
The implication, he explained, was that opposition governors were unlikely to fund any new coalition, hence Saraki’s reluctance to publicly align with the movement.
“Saraki is unsure of success of coalition in 202 and is to adopt Wike’s pattern of remaining in PDP and collaborating with ruling government to remain relevant at the centre
“Many governors from both APC and PDP have pledged loyalty to the president in hopes of securing their political futures.”
The source claimed and quoted Saraki to have said: “The implication is that opposition governors are unlikely to fund any new coalition, hence my reluctance to publicly align with the movement.
“With what is on ground, the possibility of me (Saraki) joining the Social Democratic Party (SDP) is nil. No current APC governors is ready to defect to the PDP or SDP, in fact, I can count about 5 PDP governors who are almost with the APC. The remaining 7 PDP governors are not willing to fund the party.’’ [With Daily Trust report]
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