By Emmanuel Aziken, Political Editor

Perhaps the Senate leadership assumed that it was partnering with President Muhammadu Buhari when it gave heed for an investigation of Mr. Ibrahim Lamorde, the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, over allegations bordering on the misappropriation of N1 trillion recovered funds.

Bukola Saraki

Given the increasing zeal with which the president is approaching the fight against corruption, such a collaboration some may have assumed, would have helped in bridging the well-known gap between Buhari and the Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki.

The president has been reported to be miffed at the way, and manner Saraki emerged as Senate President, and even worse, his alleged collaboration in the emergence of Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, as the Deputy Senate President.

However, any such suggestion that the probe of Lamorde would heal the relationship between the Senate and the presidency is now being swallowed up in the politics of self-preservation. The decision to probe Lamorde, in a remarkable twist of real politics, has unravelled the alliance between the Senate President and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Just after the decision became public knowledge, the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Godswill Akpabio led PDP senators to decry the decision.

Minoritycaucus

The Senate minority caucus called for the postponement of the hearing because the probe was not a priority. “The PDP leadership in the Senate is not against any committee of the Senate performing its oversight duties and or functions but we feel that this is not the appropriate time to embark on this most important assignment, particularly since this same action was mooted and has failed at previous plenary session,” the PDP caucus said in a statement late on Monday.

However, for enthusiasts of Senator Saraki, the probe of the EFCC could not be a higher priority given what many had alleged as the embarrassment the commission subjected the Senate President to when it summoned Senator Saraki’s wife for questioning over allegations arising from her husband’s stay in office as governor of Kwara State.

When Mrs. Saraki was invited by the commission for questioning over allegations supposedly arising from her husband’s administration in Kwara more than four years ago, only a few doubted that the invitation was not political.

It came just after her husband had upturned permutations in the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC to emerge as Senate President. It was the first time since the advent of the Fourth Republic that the wife of the country’s number three citizen would be subjected to such an embarrassment.

The constitution of the Senate Committee on Ethics, Privileges and Public Petitions it was believed gave the camp of the Senate President the opportunity for a fight back. The committee named in July ending has a rabid pro Saraki senator in the person of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as chairman. Other members of the committee are almost all fully in the Saraki camp among whom are Senators Dino Melaye, Binta Garba; Peter Nwaboshi and Olaka Nwogu.

Mr Ibrahim Lamorde

The chairman of the committee, Senator Anyanwu was the one who moved the motion of confidence in Senator Saraki and his deputy, Ekweremadu few weeks ago. Very reliable sources in the Senate disclosed that the original aim of conscripting well known pro-Saraki senators into the committee was to help deal with “troublemakers” in the Ahmad Lawan camp.

The petition against Lamorde it was learnt was channelled through Senator Nwaoboshi, an unabashed enforcer in the Saraki camp. Given the channel of the petition and the fact that the petition did not pass through the Senate plenary session there are concerns that today’s hearing could be against the procedures of the Senate. Even the fact that Senate is on recess has also raised suspicions about the intent of the investigation.

However, the decision of the PDP Senate caucus to disown the move by one of their own, Senator Nwaoboshi has added another dimension to the whole crisis. Why the PDP would dodge an opportunity to embarrass the ruling party and its principal officers in government, was a puzzle to some yesterday.

The move by the Senator Akpabio led PDP Senate caucus, it was being alleged, may be an attempt by officers of the caucus to endear themselves to the commission and perhaps be a payback that would enable the commission be soft on them whenever it is their own turn to face the scrutiny of the anti-graft commission.

Whatever, the move by the Senate to frontally confront the EFCC is coming against assertions of continued moves by Senator Saraki to make peace with the president. While some may see this move as another confrontation by the Senate President, political practitioners with an eye to self-preservation say attack is the best form of defence. Whether today’s attack will backfire is another matter.