Junk journalism and democracy

Apparently aware that  all attempts to smear, tarnish and dent the political and social image of the Senate leadership under Abubakar Bukola Saraki have been failing, the sponsors of the Saraki Must Go Project have how perfected some other ways to advance their hatred towards  the APC government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, who has […]

Apparently aware that  all attempts to smear, tarnish and dent the political and social image of the Senate leadership under Abubakar Bukola Saraki have been failing, the sponsors of the Saraki Must Go Project have how perfected some other ways to advance their hatred towards  the APC government, led by President Muhammadu Buhari, who has given them too much space to operate.
The Saraki Must Go Project is a diversionary  device evolved to fool Nigerians while the real threat is geared towards the presidency and the sooner Nigerians come to terms with the fact that Saraki is a pro-Buhari campaigner to the core, the better for our democracy. A brief reminder here is that, those who are in the picture of how Buhari emerged as both APC candidate and president of this country know how much Saraki contributed towards that victory.
Before the June 9, 2015 election of Saraki as president of the Nigerian Senate, there were intrigues to stop him but despite all the shenanigans, he triumphed over his internal political opponents. The APC senators who stood by him were marked  as enemies within and those who wanted to hijack both the presidency and the National Assembly swore to destabilize the senate for as long as Saraki leads the Upper House.
Political observers do not have to go very far to uncover that the man behind the plot is former Lagos State governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu whose preferred candidate in the June 9 election was defeated. The senate has in the last one year been legislating along divided lines within the ruling APC while the opposition PDP which backed Saraki has become an observer.
Also, the death of Senator Olusola Saraki left a very big political vacuum in the Yoruba political system. However, the emergence of Senator Bukola Saraki as a political force to continue with the Saraki family political structure is posing a serious threat to Tinubu’s political master plan. Therefore, the political persecution Saraki is going through is part of attempts by grand political powers to humiliate and eliminate him from national politics.
Having tried all their dirty tricks and failed, they now decided to pull down Saraki’s co-travellers who believe in the Nigerian project rather than selfish interest. Recently, an online news portal falsely reported that an impeachment meeting against the president was held at the residence of Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko from Sokoto State, which was part of  the series of blackmail tactics to embarrass the pro-Saraki APC senators who played prominent role in the party’s victory last year: The aim of such reports is to paint those backing Saraki as dissidents. But Nigerians know the truth behind this epic set-up.
For the record, all the APC Senators supporting Saraki played major roles in the 2015 victory but the immense contribution of Senator Wamakko is something President Buhari will never forget. In Birnin Kebbi, the Kebbi State capital, Buhari publicly commended Wamakko for his personal sacrifice and efforts to mobilize the entire sate for him despite the opposition PDP in power that time. Senator Wamakko personally brokered peace among the APC aspirants in Kebbi which saw the emergence of Senator Atiku Bagudu of that state with the other contestants giving their full support. As Buhari’s north-west zonal coordinator, Wamakko almost abandoned his primary duties as a governor of Sokoto state and gave the Buhari project all the needed support by shuttling between Sokoto and Kaduna, Jigawa and Kano, Zamfara and Kebbi as well as Katsina making sure that Buhari scaled through.
But the fundamental question here is, why will the same senator who sacrificed all he had for Buhari to emerge as president now champion his impeachment? Of what benefit will Buhari’s impeachment be to Senator Wamakko? 
How many Nigerians have paused for a while and thought of the implication of impeaching Buhari and installing Osinbajo? We all know how rigid and uncompromising Buhari is, yet various unsavoury elements seem to have his ear. Then what will happen to Saraki, Wamakko and other APC senators who are working for national interest should Osinbajo become the next president? Will they be allowed space to breathe? There is a common cliché that he devil you know is better than the saint you don’t.
Senator Wamakko has said it all, that he has never been part of any plot to impeach the president who he fought for with all the fibre in him to install and will never be part of any scheming to impeach the president. That online report is part of the plot to harass and embarrass the pro-Saraki senators and it was a calculated attempt to blackmail and dent Senator Wamakko’s political image but it has not worked and it will not. Instead, the chickens will soon return home, of course to roost. The online hate campaign did not start today: It has been an on-going, calculated attempt to paint northerners black. In the past year, both civilian and military personalities from the region have come under attack from that same direction, with the latest being on Buratai, the Chief of Army Staff and the Minister of Internal Affairs, Abdulrahman Dambazau. The list can stretch on for days.
At least President Buhari knows who is who to him, unless he is allowing  both the baby and the bath water to be thrown away. Many elements around the president, however, do not wish this country well. But who will tell the president? Maybe time will.
Mohammed wrote from Sokoto.