Senate President Bukola Saraki has been trending since Friday, after an audio of an address he gave to young supporters was leaked, by the activist, Kayode Ogundamisi.
One of the shocking things he said was that he left the All Progressives Congress, for his old party, the Peoples Democratic Party, because President Muhammadu Buhari did not reward him financially.
Here are the highlights of the audio, that has drawn flak for the politician from Kwara State:
“All that you have complained about tonight is on point, I can not find anything you have said that is not on point, you complained about empowerment”
“Let us agree that the last three and a half years, things have not been easy at all, I agree and accept things have not been easy at all, particularly in the area of empowerment”
“Before 2015 I have always tried to empower the youths and get them involved in appointments, but this time around, as a result of what I call human factor, things have not been the same, I believe it is the will of God”
“When you all are complaining and you give example of Gegele and co and you compare it to what is happening now, I am sure you are asking yourself, what is happening? How come all of you struggling with me are not rewarded, it is unacceptable”
“What is the point of putting everything into the emergence of a government and we can not benefit anything from the government, you are asking yourself, what have you benefited”
“If you have not benefited personally in the last three and a half years, how do you go to market us, won’t people ask you what you have benefited for yourself?
“It got to a stage that people will be making fun of you and asking you what you have benefited, but what is happening from Abuja, use me as an example, in 2015 I carried @OfficialAPCNg on my head around Nigeria.
“Hardly any state in Nigeria that I did not campaign for @MBuhari, up to the time of the election in 2015, out of 36 states I paid for the election of 30 states”
“Out of 36 states in Nigeria I funded @MBuhari campaign in 30 States, some states I paid 200 million naira, some 300 million, some 400 million, the only states I did not fund were South West states”
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“Many times I will be calling my banks to send money to fund elections across Nigeria for @MBuhari, my thinking was that when we get elected, the next thing is that we will get majority of our people appointments”
“In fact I had already promised some of you here that you will either be MD of federal agencies, either road maintenance, NIPDA (inaudible) even Nigerian Ports Authority, SUBEB and so on and so forth”
“I know if I put someone amongst you from Kwara even in the smallest federal agencies, the contract you will sign out, 1 million, 2 million, but for the first time that I have been in politics even as a leader, I can’t appoint a cleaner”
“I as President of @NGRSenate I could not even appoint a cleaner not to talk of Board appointment, if you look at Executive positions I have nothing even after spending billions for three and a half years, I am as angry as you are.
“I am fighting @MBuhari because of you, if it because of me I won’t fight, it is not easy to fight the federal government, the sufferings you are all going through is because they did not fulfil our agenda”
“In 2018, I told you all I won’t be going with @OfficialAPCNg but in the last one or two months that I left I have been doing a lot for you people, my politics is for all of you, I am just here to empower you all, don’t mind the one who just bought form for 33 million.”
“It was not my plan not to appoint you, when when David Mark was @NGRSenate President, every confirmation he made for the @NGRPresident came with something, if they really love us now you will be empowered”
“In the past, they have a cut for Senate President and Speaker but not anymore, so we are no longer going with APC as soon as we joined PDP they called me National Leader, when I lost the presidential election, @atiku came to me immediately”
“Now we have seen the sign that if @atiku becomes @NGRPresident things will come to us, he told me I am the only one that can run his campaign, I know it is not easy for you all, but let me assure you things will be better”
“God see my “aniyan” (Arabic word meaning the mind) now in PDP they have brought us closer, how many people in Kwara did APC bring together, now we will soon have power, today in APC they want us to go to @AsiwajuTinubu in Lagos”
“If I am the only one in PDP I will fight alone, my father made Kwara and took Kwara to the top 10 states in Nigeria and I also took Kwara to between number 1 to 3 in Nigerian politics and they now want us to bow to Lagos.
“In the coming election we will put a youth into power in Kwara, let us take @Atunwa_1 as he his, he will take care of you all, all those who contested against him are loyal but Atunwa will….. inaudible” (applause)
“When I was governor I gave a lot of young people contract, they bought land etc and then empowered others, I want to return you to the days of when I was governor when you were all enjoying, @atiku will open things when we win election”
“You know as a leader I see things that followers don’t see, when we followed @MBuhari we felt after spending money, he will reward us but he failed to reward us, so we said this Baba is not coming back, no money, no patronage all over Nigeria”
“Even with all the problems we have with @MBuhari the little cut I get I always send to Kwara but I can tell you that we had to design a method to make the little we have, they did not involve us in sharing”
“The only agenda APC have for Kwara is to fight @bukolasaraki, they favour Osun State with empowerment, for the remaining with @MBuhari but we will still get some things, we gave them list for FIRS for three years they did not employ our list”
“Thank you for listening to me”
A participant declared that Bukola Saraki gave the youths N3 million naira
