By Kenneth Duru |

Bukola Ahmed Saraki refuses to step down even as pressure mounts on him to surrender the Senate Presidency.

Any Nigerian would tell you that Senate President, Ahmed Bukola Saraki in trouble. However, his predicament tends to expose an uncommon attribute of resilience and staying power in him. Saraki seems prepared to fight to the very last.

Many had expected him to vacate the senate presidency in the wake of strong and weighty allegations Nigerians that have emerged from his trial at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). The Mossack Fonseca data leaks which have linked his wife to undeclared offshore investments has reinforced the calls by his critics and other Nigerians for  his resignation.

The CCT is prosecuting Saraki for alleged false, anticipated and non – declaration of assets between 2003 and 2007 when he served as the executive governor of Kwara State. There is also the allegation that the incumbent Senate President also committed the same offence when he was first elected as Senator in 2007.

Obviously, the heat is very much on. The battle is now raging on two fronts. Saraki’s diehard supporters appear ready to explore every possible means to get reprieve for their principal. Adamant as ever, they have affirmed, as one newspaper columnist wrote “to follow their master even to the gate of hell.” They have carried the Saraki struggle to the social media. Several social media sites are brimming with messages and short takes all aimed at appealing to the sentiments of Nigerians. One of the groups named Equity Forum wrote: “Why Saraki Should Not Resign: No court has found him guilty of any offence. Courts should not be used to settle political contests. Let the courts decide!”

Saraki’s spokesman, Yusuf Olaniyonu states the position of Saraki’s supporters more lucidly: “Those who are contemplating calls for resignation (of Saraki) want to circumvent the judicial system. They are obviously being sponsored by some politicians. The Senate President is not contemplating any resignation. He will surely have his day in court”, he said.

The Senate President’s opponents mostly members of the Senate Unity Forum (a caucus of APC Senators) are fighting tooth and nail to show him the exit door. They claim their position is informed by the need to uphold the integrity and image of the upper chamber of the nation’s legislature. One of their prominent members states: “Our intention is to mount aggressive pressure on him to go in order to save his face and the image of the Senate but his supporters who are obviously more than we are in number, have consistently kicked against it.”

There are indeed many Nigerians who believe that the Senate President is just a victim of political victimisation. Dr Johnson Ibekwe, a lawyer and political analyst opines that “what is happening to Saraki now is the handiwork of the powers that be in APC. Right from the onset of his senate presidency, people like Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu have not hidden their resolve to get him out of the way.

On the other hand, Wole Makanjuola, a political scientist is among the class of people who do not support Senator Bukola Saraki. He says: “Nigerians should not cry for Saraki. What he is reaping now are the fruits of his past misdeeds. He was the arrowhead of the grand conspiracy and antagonism against former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan. It is now pay back time for Saraki. He should face the music.”

However, the Saraki saga posses a great dilemma to the ruling All Progressives Congress. Like the proverbial treacherous fly perched on the scrotum, the party is faced with severe consequences regardless of which ever way the pendulum of the case swings. Should the CCT snare, the opposition People Democratic Party seem poised to clinch the coveted seat of the nation’s number three citizen. If he survives the onslaught, it would be better imagined what the relationship between the legislature and the APC – led executive hierarchy would look like.