Ex-Minister Links Saraki–Jonathan Rift To Yar’Adua Era

According to Ireporter Online, the National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has traced the strained relationship between former Senate President Bukola Saraki and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan to developments that occurred during the administration of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua.

Abdullahi made the disclosure on Tuesday in Abuja during the public presentation of his book, The Loyalist, where he shared personal reflections from his years in public service. He revealed that he lost his ministerial appointment under the Jonathan administration after declining to participate in political attacks against Saraki during a campaign in Kwara State.

In the book, Abdullahi described Saraki’s relationship with President Yar’Adua as particularly close, noting that it was stronger than the bond between Yar’Adua and then Vice-President Jonathan. He explained that this dynamic may have contributed to Jonathan’s sense of alienation, as Saraki and some governors were perceived to be more aligned with the president at the time.

Abdullahi wrote that Jonathan may have felt undermined by the closeness between Saraki and Yar’Adua, adding that the late president, aware of the growing tension, encouraged Saraki to meet with Jonathan in an effort to ease the strain. However, he said the meeting resulted in surface-level civility rather than sincere reconciliation.

Following Yar’Adua’s death and Jonathan’s rise to the presidency, Abdullahi noted that elements within Jonathan’s camp believed Saraki had worked against his emergence as acting president. This suspicion, he said, stemmed from claims that Saraki supported the continuation of Yar’Adua’s presidency despite his prolonged illness abroad.

He dismissed this view as inaccurate, stressing that Saraki, through the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, played a central role in proposing the Doctrine of Necessity, which provided the legal framework that enabled Jonathan’s elevation to the presidency. Abdullahi recalled being asked by Saraki to draft the statement proposing the doctrine to the National Assembly.

Despite this, Abdullahi said Jonathan remained doubtful of Saraki’s loyalty, especially amid discussions within the ruling party suggesting that power would remain in the North ahead of the 2011 elections. He explained that Saraki had initially participated in a northern consensus arrangement that could have produced a challenger to Jonathan at the party primaries.

Although Saraki later withdrew and was reported to have supported Jonathan, Abdullahi said the president was never fully convinced of his commitment. He identified the 2012 fuel subsidy crisis as a major turning point, noting that the Jonathan administration believed Saraki’s Senate motion calling for a probe into fuel subsidy payments contributed to the protests that destabilised the government.

Abdullahi said the protests significantly weakened Jonathan’s presidency and were widely regarded as a major factor in his defeat at the 2015 general elections.

He added that both men later met again after tensions had eased, during a period when anti-graft authorities had begun investigating Saraki and his family. According to Abdullahi, Saraki confronted Jonathan over what he perceived as politically motivated harassment, while Jonathan denied any involvement and assured him the matter would be looked into, marking what Abdullahi described as an effort at reconciliation.