For more than seven years after the 2019 elections, former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, remained in the limbo as his once dominant political influence in Kwara State was wiped out by the gale of ‘O to ge’ movement engineered by the sitting governor, AbdulRahman AbduRazak.

Saraki was literally sent into political exile as his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), was roundly beaten by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the presidential and governorship elections. But in an instance of the instability of human condition, the former Senate President recently witnessed resurgence in clout due mainly to severe internal crisis in the state’s APC, controversial succession battles and Governor AbdulRazak’s clash with prominent political figures in the state.

The astute politician that he is, Saraki promptly cashed in on the situation, turning the governor’s losses into his own gains. Aligning himself with the Nyesom Wike’s faction of the crisis-ridden PDP which has not hidden its support for President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s second term ambition, Saraki began to win over members of APC in the state who had an axe to grind with the governor.

He, however, committed tactical political blunders in the process, incurring the wrath of many of his PDP associates with his decision to please his new allies in APC at their expense despite having stood by him when the going was tough. An example was his decision to collect the senatorial ticket originally meant for Moshood Mustapha and handing same over to his new political ally, Saliu Mustapha.

Many Kwarans are also not happy with Saraki’s association with Nyesom Wike who is known to be locked in a feud with Governor AbdulRazak, accusing the governor of leading a campaign and sponsoring actors against him amid shifting political realignments in Kwara State.

Many in the state are also not happy that apart from attacking their governor, Wike is dictating to Saraki the direction that politics should go, leaving them to wonder if the state has now become an appendage of Rivers. Saraki’s political allies are also accused of insulting Kwara North, saying that the senatorial zone is not capable of producing a governorship material.

The former Senate President is now caught between the devil and the deep sea, which is the reason many believe he has found it difficult to make an open declaration of support for President Tinubu. (The Nation)