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Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress Adams Oshiomhole, has, in what appears to be mockery of the Senate President, Bukola Saraki’s loss at Saturday’s National Assembly elections, said his failed return bid is confirmation that democracy is a leveller.
Saraki was one of the major casualties of the 2019 general election as he lost the Kwara Central senatorial seat to an old foe, Dr Ibrahim Oloriegbe, of the All Progressives Congress, in what election observers described as “a major upset.”
Oloriegbe polled 123, 808 votes to defeat Saraki, who got 68, 994 votes. He cleared all the four local government areas of the senatorial district.
Speaking to State House Correspondents shortly after president Buhari received his Certificate of Teturn, at his residence in the Presidential Villa, Oshiomhole said even though the president had asked them to be magnanimous in victory, Saraki’s loss cannot be ignored.
He said: “Let’s also say, to be honest, that, as much as we want to be magnanimous in victory, there are couple of things that have happened, that show that the Nigerian people know how to reward those who are extremely arrogant. People who came to the senate with less than 100,000 votes and began to hold the country to ransome, their own people have recalled them home. While we were saying that we will impeach them, their people said they would rather bury them. Politically, now, they are out. It shows the power of democracy, it’s a leveller, an equaliser; you cannot be bigger than the people…
“I am happy that Nigerians have renewed overwhelmingly the mandate of Mr. President. If you look at the numbers, you will see that the president has more votes. This time, the difference between the president and the runner-up is that he has more votes than before. So, regardless of those fake talk, fake news in the social media, they have all been put to shame.”
