A former aide to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari, Femi Adesina, has revealed in his book “Working with Buhari: Reflections Of A Special Adviser, Media And Publicity (2015 – 2023)” that in 2015, former Senate President Bukola Saraki, along with ex-House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara and former Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, orchestrated a plan to take control of the National Assembly.

Adesina disclosed that Saraki collaborated with the Peoples Democratic Party lawmakers to secure the necessary support, as a significant number of senators from the ruling All Progressives Congress were not aligned with him. 

The former presidential spokesman mentioned that this information was unknown to the party leadership at the time.

Adesina went on to explain that Saraki collaborated with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lawmakers, stating, “To get the necessary figures, Saraki was in league with the PDP, his former party, as a significant number of APC senators were not with him.” He emphasized that this information was not known to the party leadership at the time.

Describing the unexpected turn of events, Adesina recounted, “We were in the President’s living room at Aso Drive, preparatory to driving to the International Conference Centre for the meeting with APC legislators when we saw on television that the Senate had already been convened, and election was in progress.” 

He added, “The requisite constitutionally required number had been made up by renegade APC members and the PDP.”

Despite Saraki and Dogara’s emergence as National Assembly leaders, Adesina highlighted that President Buhari was discontented, stating, “Buhari was unhappy with Saraki and Dogara’s emergence as leaders of the National Assembly.”