ANALYSIS: Shehu Sani’s analogy, Adeleke’s victory dance - by AGBAJILEKE,

In my column dated June 2, 2017 titled: ‘Analogue senators in 21st Century’, l pointed out that only six out of the current 108 senators are active on social media. I explained that while some lawmakers had been on hiatus after the 2015 general elections, most senators are not on social media altogether.

I listed the active senators to include Senate President Bukola Saraki (APC, Kwara State), Shehu Sani (APC, Kaduna State), Ben Murray-Bruce (PDP, Bayelsa State), Ovie Omo-Agege (APC, Delta State), Gbenga Ashafa (APC, Lagos State) and Mao Ohuabunwa (PDP, Abia State).
However, I failed to add embattled lawmaker Dino Melaye (APC, Kogi State). With less than 390 working days to the 2019 general elections, it won’t be a surprise to see inactive senators ‘resurrect’ on social media in the buildup to the exercise.

 Speaking of Shehu Sani, not many of us gave him a chance as one of the senators that would dominate headlines in 2017. While the likes of Saraki, Ike Ekweremadu, Ali Ndume and Melaye readily came to mind, very few gave the civil rights activist-turned senator a chance. The witty politician would diplomatically advise a friend with mouth odour to develop the habit of using mouth spray or chewing gum regularly than adopt the approach of Melaye who would call the bluff of such friend by telling him that his mouth stinks.

 Remember Sani’s insecticide/deodorant satire? As chairman, Senate Ad-hoc Committee on the Presidential Initiative on the North-East, he took the Presidency to the cleaners in January, making a mockery of its corruption fight by drawing an allusion between the insecticide used in fighting supposedly corruption outside the Presidency and the deodorant used in protecting the President’s men.

He was reacting to President Muhammadu Buhari’ letter defending the now suspended Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal. In his novel, ‘Things Fall Apart’, Chinua Achebe describes proverbs as “the palm wine with which words are eaten”. No doubt, the All Progressives Congress (APC) legislator possesses dozes of proverbs, innuendos and analogies to buttress his argument, as he took the cabal in the Presidency to the cleaners last week on his Facebook page; a development that drew the response of the President’s wife. He declared: “Prayer for the absent Lion King has waned; until he’s back then they will fall over each other to be on the front row of the palace temple.

 Now the hyenas and the jackals are scheming and talking to each other in whispered; still doubting whether the Lion King will be back or not. “It is the wish of the Hyenas and the Jackals that the Lion King never wakes up or come back so that they can be kings. It is the prayers of the weak animals that the Lion King comes back to save the kingdom from the Hyenas, the wolves and other predators”. Although ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle described man as a ‘political animal’, Sani’s depiction of the cabal as ‘hyenas’ and ‘jackals’ is aimed at ridiculing them.

His post was in veiled response to the remarks of his arch political enemy and Governor of Kaduna State Nasir El-Rufai, who declared at the commissioning of the zonal office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in Kaduna that neither President Buhari nor Acting President Yemi Osinbajo would remove the head of the anti-graft agency, Ibrahim Magu, in defiance to calls by the Senate. The Kaduna Central legislator had angrily walked out of the event after sighting the governor who was equally invited to the occasion.

Responding to the comment also proverbially on her Facebook page, Aisha Buhari said: “God has answered the prayers of the weaker Animals. The Hyenas and the jackals will soon be sent out of the kingdom.

We strongly believe in the prayers and support of the weaker animals”. Both comments went viral immediately and even led the front pages of some newspapers. Not done yet, Sani made another viral post and portrayed the cabal as crocodiles, fishes, pythons, leopards, cheetahs, jaguars etc as well as President Buhari (Lion), Acting President Yemi Osinbajo (Tiger) and the President’s wife (Lioness).

 “The crocodiles want fishes to quit the rivers; the pythons want to monopolise the forest. The Leopards, Cheetahs, Pumas, Jaguars and the Cougars want the Kingdom rearranged. When the Lion is back the Kingdom will be back to order. However, the Tiger is doing its best to keep the Kingdom in the absence of the Lion. But the Lion is the Lion. I admire the courage, the strength, the tenacity, the resilience and the spirit of the Lioness”.

 Two days later, the outspoken senator fired another warning shot: “The Anaconda and the Python once ruled the Forest; they ruled unjustly and brutally. The Cobras, the Vipers, the mambas, the Boars merged and promised to take the inhabitants of the forest out of the forest of thorns to the promised forest of roses; and they dethroned the Anaconda and the Python.

Then the forest was stuck with the Losers talking at each other and the winners not talking to each other. The Winners must talk to each other before the losers stop talking at each other”. In another development, last week witnessed the swearing in of Ademola Adeleke, winner of the Osun West Senatorial District bye-election.

He took over from his elder late elder brother, Isiaka Adeleke, who passed on in April this year. By the way, have you watched the new senator’s dance steps? His jaw-dropping victory dance, which is trending online, has elicited mixed reactions from Nigerians. If Melaye thinks he can entertain people with his ‘Aye Ku Iya’ single, he should watch out for this lawmaker. Imagine a collabo between these two senators: Melaye Featuring Adeleke…

 On a more serious note, his victory should be an eye- opener to political leaders to shun impunity by fielding the right candidates and reconnect with the people by fulfilling campaign promises. It was visible to the blind and audible to the deaf that Adeleke was the most popular candidate but the powers- that-be in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State thought otherwise and opted for an unpopular candidate.

The younger Adeleke immediately defected to the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) toactualise his political aspiration. The net result, coupled with the economic woes in the state and controversy surrounding Adeleke’s demise, was a protest vote which saw the ruling APC losing in nine out of 10 local government areas in the senatorial district. OWEDE AGBAJILEKE writes from Abuja. ~Vangaurd .