Saraki will make Nigeria proud – Sen Obi

IMMEDIATE past Presidential Adviser on Inter-party Affairs, Senator Ben Obi, has expressed optimism that the new Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, would do the nation proud, going by his antecedents in politics and public life.

In an interview with Vanguard in Awka at the weekend, Obi said that from the moment Saraki declared interest in the senate presidency, he (Obi) knew it would be difficult for anybody to stop him.

Obi said: “It is important for me to underscore the dept of the political sagacity of the new senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki. I think his party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, underrated his political skills.

“The young man is truly a chip of the old block and he understands the game very well. I have a very good reason to say what I am saying because I can count myself as one of those who took him through political tutelage.

“I was at one time in charge of his father’s campaign when the strongman of Kwara politics ran for the president of Nigeria and his son, Bukola, was then running the Societe Generale Bank as vice chairman.

‘’Whenever we sat as the kitchen cabinet, Bukola would always sit in and his contributions were very incisive and most times, we ended up agreeing with his suggestions.

“So, when the APC said they had a candidate and that they had taken a decision, I sat down in the comfort of my home and laughed it off, knowing that this is one game the party cannot win because the moment the senators step into the red chamber, they would take control.

“As long as that was the case, there was no way any other person would defeat Bukola on that ground. I was so sure of that and I said so to everybody who cared to listen.”