TONYE COLE SPEAKS ON SUPREME COURT RULING

Dr. Bukola Saraki and his one-time buddy and close associate, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi are now bitter political foes managing rival campaigns of the two major presidential candidates. Emergence of the duo on opposing political platforms is a story laced with much political intrigues… By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor Remarkably, the two men were on the same side just four years ago when they were in the lead in the campaign to instal Muhammadu Buhari as president of the country on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC. Amaechi and Saraki 2019: Malicious allegations against Atiku won’t help your cause, PDP tells Buhari Before then their relationship blossomed as governors. Saraki used his clout as outgoing chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF to produce Amaechi as his successor. Amaechi served as the director-general of the successful APC campaign that ushered Buhari to power in 2015. He has again been appointed to the same role for the 2019 presidential campaign, albeit with less swagger. Saraki, following his defection from the APC has been appointed director-general of the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign, the campaign platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. It is a match-up that has undoubtedly unnerved some mutual friends of the two men. Remarkably, both men were in the PDP and left the party in 2013 after bitter experiences with what those in the know say as the Jonathan women. Amaechi left the PDP after repeated beefs with President Goodluck Jonathan’s wife, Patience. Saraki’s exit from the PDP had to do with the failure of President Jonathan to address his grievances with the management of fuel subsidy then managed by another tough  “Jonathan woman,” Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, who in office as Nigeria’s longest serving petroleum minister under Jonathan. However, following their exit from the PDP both men were quick to identify with Buhari who had by that time resurrected his plan of becoming president after initially burying it following the 2011 defeat in the hands of Jonathan. Saraki who had himself sought the presidency in 2011, according to multiple sources was said to have pledged support for Buhari’s 2015 aspiration even before the commencement of the APC primaries. For doing that, many of those who were driving the Buhari project including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu were said to have urged him to then look forward to becoming Senate President. Tinubu himself was also looking towards running with Buhari as his running mate. Party insiders say that at that time few people did not take it as a serious issue as it was expected that contemplation of a Muslim-Muslim ticket was improbable. However, at that time around October 2014, Amaechi was believed to be also in good position, if not better position to be running mate to Buhari. Besides the reports of Amaechi helping out the Buhari project financially, sources close to Amaechi disclosed that he also got Buhari’s word on it. It was as such not surprising that the then outgoing governor of Rivers State worked assiduously for the emergence of Buhari as candidate of the new party. Remarkably, as the presidential convention of the party was approaching in December 2014 there were moves to truncate that move. Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, allegedly acting on the support of Tinubu in November bought the form to enter the presidential primary of the APC. Why Tinubu egged Tambuwal to enter the contest cannot be easily fathomed. Some now allege that the former Lagos State governor apparently believed that his prospects as vice-president were better guaranteed under Tambuwal than Buhari whose eyes were at that time fixed on Amaechi. It is, however, difficult to believe that Tinubu could have agreed to have served under Tambuwal as vice president. Tambuwal who is now governor of Sokoto State confirmed to Vanguard that he received Tinubu’s political support to enter the 2014 presidential contest against Buhari. However, apparently under strong pressure from party members Tinubu, not long after a heart-to-heart talk in Tinubu’s residence urged Tambuwal to pull out. A very disappointed Tambuwal was said to have left the meeting with a poignant message to Tinubu “you don’t know the man you are dealing with.” Meanwhile following his emergence as presidential candidate on December 11, 2014, Buhari inaugurated a committee of party leaders including Saraki, Tambuwal, Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State among others to fish for a running mate. At the meetings Amaechi’s name cropped up but it was almost universally defeated for reasons many party insiders are yet to volunteer. But one major reason was the decision by South-West leaders to produce the vice-president or have no deal with Buhari. For Buhari, it was a difficult position given what sources say as his repeated promises to Amaechi. The committee, according to a source eventually arrived at three names; Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Olurunnimbe Mamora and Yemi Osinbajo. Vanguard could not confirm if there was any order to the listing. The failure of Amaechi to appear on the final list of names for consideration, multiple sources say, was at the heart of what turned into the lingering political beef between Saraki and Amaechi. “Amaechi believed that Saraki did not help him enough as he thought that with Saraki in the committee he would get some leverage,” a source privy to the development said. However, Saraki knowing that Amaechi was a hard-sell tried to manage the issue. His first resort was to absent himself from the meetings, even travelling abroad, so as not to involve himself, one source close to him disclosed. Buhari on receiving the list was said to have taken it to Tinubu in his Abuja residence. Another source privy to the fallout of the meeting said that the meeting ended on a sour note. Vanguard could not confirm the claim that there was a shout-out between the two men, after which Buhari stormed out of the APC leader’s residence. Following that alleged beef, it was learnt that Buhari still sustained the promise of vice-president to Amaechi. By this time the trouble among the senior leaders of the party over the choice of who becomes vice-president had become heated up, with the threat of the new party imploding. It was at this point that party leaders from the South-West met Tinubu and urged him to pick from among a list of those recommended and not surprisingly, Osinbajo, who served his government proved the safest bet for him. “Having gone this far in the move to oust Jonathan, are we going to surrender because of the choice of vice-president?” a source familiar with the development disclosed. Buhari on his part, being already stretched, caved into the decision on Osinbajo. Amaechi soldiered on, but his relationship with Saraki nurtured over several years was by that time severely damaged. Associates of Saraki believe that Amaechi was against his emergence as Senate President. Though not confirmed, some associates claim that Amaechi was a major source of support for Senator Ahmed Lawan who bidded to become Senate President. Though mutual friends have made serious efforts to reconcile both men, sources say that the once rosy relationship may never be recovered, whoever wins in the battle of wits onk

;Dr. Bukola Saraki and his one-time buddy and close associate, Hon. Rotimi Amaechi are now bitter political foes managing rival campaigns of the two major presidential candidates. Emergence of the duo on opposing political platforms is a story laced with much political intrigues… By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor Remarkably, the two men were on the same side just four years ago when they were in the lead in the campaign to instal Muhammadu Buhari as president of the country on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, APC. Amaechi and Saraki 2019: Malicious allegations against Atiku won’t help your cause, PDP tells Buhari Before then their relationship blossomed as governors. Saraki used his clout as outgoing chairman of the Nigerian Governors Forum, NGF to produce Amaechi as his successor. Amaechi served as the director-general of the successful APC campaign that ushered Buhari to power in 2015. He has again been appointed to the same role for the 2019 presidential campaign, albeit with less swagger. Saraki, following his defection from the APC has been appointed director-general of the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign, the campaign platform of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. It is a match-up that has undoubtedly unnerved some mutual friends of the two men. Remarkably, both men were in the PDP and left the party in 2013 after bitter experiences with what those in the know say as the Jonathan women. Amaechi left the PDP after repeated beefs with President Goodluck Jonathan’s wife, Patience. Saraki’s exit from the PDP had to do with the failure of President Jonathan to address his grievances with the management of fuel subsidy then managed by another tough  “Jonathan woman,” Mrs. Diezani Allison-Madueke, who in office as Nigeria’s longest serving petroleum minister under Jonathan. However, following their exit from the PDP both men were quick to identify with Buhari who had by that time resurrected his plan of becoming president after initially burying it following the 2011 defeat in the hands of Jonathan. Saraki who had himself sought the presidency in 2011, according to multiple sources was said to have pledged support for Buhari’s 2015 aspiration even before the commencement of the APC primaries. For doing that, many of those who were driving the Buhari project including Asiwaju Bola Tinubu were said to have urged him to then look forward to becoming Senate President. Tinubu himself was also looking towards running with Buhari as his running mate. Party insiders say that at that time few people did not take it as a serious issue as it was expected that contemplation of a Muslim-Muslim ticket was improbable. However, at that time around October 2014, Amaechi was believed to be also in good position, if not better position to be running mate to Buhari. Besides the reports of Amaechi helping out the Buhari project financially, sources close to Amaechi disclosed that he also got Buhari’s word on it. It was as such not surprising that the then outgoing governor of Rivers State worked assiduously for the emergence of Buhari as candidate of the new party. Remarkably, as the presidential convention of the party was approaching in December 2014 there were moves to truncate that move. Speaker Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, allegedly acting on the support of Tinubu in November bought the form to enter the presidential primary of the APC. Why Tinubu egged Tambuwal to enter the contest cannot be easily fathomed. Some now allege that the former Lagos State governor apparently believed that his prospects as vice-president were better guaranteed under Tambuwal than Buhari whose eyes were at that time fixed on Amaechi. It is, however, difficult to believe that Tinubu could have agreed to have served under Tambuwal as vice president. Tambuwal who is now governor of Sokoto State confirmed to Vanguard that he received Tinubu’s political support to enter the 2014 presidential contest against Buhari. However, apparently under strong pressure from party members Tinubu, not long after a heart-to-heart talk in Tinubu’s residence urged Tambuwal to pull out. A very disappointed Tambuwal was said to have left the meeting with a poignant message to Tinubu “you don’t know the man you are dealing with.” Meanwhile following his emergence as presidential candidate on December 11, 2014, Buhari inaugurated a committee of party leaders including Saraki, Tambuwal, Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State among others to fish for a running mate. At the meetings Amaechi’s name cropped up but it was almost universally defeated for reasons many party insiders are yet to volunteer. But one major reason was the decision by South-West leaders to produce the vice-president or have no deal with Buhari. For Buhari, it was a difficult position given what sources say as his repeated promises to Amaechi. The committee, according to a source eventually arrived at three names; Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Olurunnimbe Mamora and Yemi Osinbajo. Vanguard could not confirm if there was any order to the listing. The failure of Amaechi to appear on the final list of names for consideration, multiple sources say, was at the heart of what turned into the lingering political beef between Saraki and Amaechi. “Amaechi believed that Saraki did not help him enough as he thought that with Saraki in the committee he would get some leverage,” a source privy to the development said. However, Saraki knowing that Amaechi was a hard-sell tried to manage the issue. His first resort was to absent himself from the meetings, even travelling abroad, so as not to involve himself, one source close to him disclosed. Buhari on receiving the list was said to have taken it to Tinubu in his Abuja residence. Another source privy to the fallout of the meeting said that the meeting ended on a sour note. Vanguard could not confirm the claim that there was a shout-out between the two men, after which Buhari stormed out of the APC leader’s residence. Following that alleged beef, it was learnt that Buhari still sustained the promise of vice-president to Amaechi. By this time the trouble among the senior leaders of the party over the choice of who becomes vice-president had become heated up, with the threat of the new party imploding. It was at this point that party leaders from the South-West met Tinubu and urged him to pick from among a list of those recommended and not surprisingly, Osinbajo, who served his government proved the safest bet for him. “Having gone this far in the move to oust Jonathan, are we going to surrender because of the choice of vice-president?” a source familiar with the development disclosed. Buhari on his part, being already stretched, caved into the decision on Osinbajo. Amaechi soldiered on, but his relationship with Saraki nurtured over several years was by that time severely damaged. Associates of Saraki believe that Amaechi was against his emergence as Senate President. Though not confirmed, some associates claim that Amaechi was a major source of support for Senator Ahmed Lawan who bidded to become Senate President. Though mutual friends have made serious efforts to reconcile both men, sources say that the once rosy relationship may never be recovered, whoever wins in the battle of wits onk

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