On Tuesday, June 9, the two chambers of the National Assembly held its leadership elections.

While Senator Bukola Saraki, emerged Senate President, Yakubu Dogara, was elected Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives.

Although both Speaker and Senate President belong to the All Progressives Congress, they were not their party’s candidates for the positions.

The APC leadership had organised a mock election over the weekend, where Senator Ahmed Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila, emerged the preferred candidates.

But on Tuesday, while 51 APC Senators and House of Reps lawmakers, were at the International Conference Centre, in Abuja, with the leadership of the APC, waiting on President Buhari, to come and resolve the impasse, an election took place at the Red Chamber of the National Assembly, which saw Saraki, get elected.

As soon as they got wind of the development, the House of Reps members rushed down to the Green Chamber, to participate in the Speakership election.

Although they made it just in time to partake in the election, Gbajabiamila, would eventually lose by a mere 8 votes to Dogara.

On that day of frayed nerves, tensed politicians and dramatic turn of events, here are 5 key things we managed to learn:

 

 

1. Ekweremadu may be the real winner

 Ike Ekweremadu has been a senator since May 2003, which makes him one of the most senior Senators in the Assembly, with 12 years experience in legislative matters.

For the third consecutive tenure, Ekweremadu was elected as Deputy Senate President.

By 2019, he would have been a Deputy Senate President for 12 uninterrupted years, which would make him more than qualified to be considered for Senate Presidency, provided the Peoples Democratic Party regains the Federal Government from the All Progressives Congress, or if he along the road, defects to the new-ruling party.

 

 

2. Discipline among the ranks will be an headache of the APC

The All Progressives Congress, is suffering from what happened in the PDP towards its decline, right before the last general elections- gross indiscipline and series of anti-party activities.

A political party is held together by its rules and every politician under it, is supposed to respect and follow the regulations.

In a situation where the party (s)elected Lawan and Gbajabiamila for the leadership positions, and Saraki and Dogara orchestrated what is close to a political coup, precedence has been set for future acts of indiscipline and anti-party activities.

 

 

3. Saraki is selfish and has no loyalty to his party

Emerging reports subsequent to the leadership election of the National Assembly insinuates that Bukola Saraki worked overnight with key players in the PDP, to form an alliance so as to emerge Senate President.

While some reports say that Saraki connived with David Mark, Godswill Akpabio and Ike Ekweremadu, other reports state that Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Kwankwanso, were behind the unexpected developments.

Regardless of which way the pendulum swings, it is apparent that Saraki, is far from loyal to his party and puts himself first, before his party.

 

 

4. Tinubu was tamed for the first time

Whatever his endgame may be in this situation, it carries no iota of doubt to affirm that Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the lion of Bourdillon, was tamed this time around.

He was outplayed at his own game of political maneuvering by Saraki and his gang.

For whatever reason, Tinubu, never wanted Saraki as President of the Senate and he worked assiduously to stop that from happening but in this battle, his scheming failed.

On the day of the battle, he was sitting pretty at the ICC while Saraki was getting sworn-in at the National Assembly.

 

 

5. PDP gets the launching pad to make a return

The PDP as a party, is very experienced in the wheeling and dealing that characterises politics in the highest level in Nigeria and its true colours were shown as they collaborated with Saraki and Dogara, to spite Tinubu and ultimately, APC.

The former ruling party reportedly struck a deal to get the the position of Deputy Senate President and to make David Mark, the majority leader, if they must support Saraki.

They party got what it was promised and in all ramifications, got a lifeline to launch a return to being the major player in the center of Nigeria’s politics in the nearest future.