FLASHBACK: Tinubu’s wife, Oluremi snubs Saraki’s handshake

The emergence of Bukola Saraki as the Senate President in 2015 came as shocking news to the ruling All Progressives Party (APC).

Senator Saraki emerged as the leader of the upper chamber weeks after President Muhammadu Buhari was inaugurated as the president.

The largest opposition didn't hide their grievances and one person who acted on her feeling was Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the then National Leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu.

According to the 2015 reports from Daily Post, Senator Tinubu snubbed the newly elected Senate President, Sen. Bukola Saraki by leaving his hand hanging when the later reached out to have a handshake with her.

The reports indicated that this happened shortly after the Senate President administered the oath of office and allegiance to Senator Ahmad Lawan and 27 other APC senators who were absent during yesterday’s formal inauguration of the Eighth Senate.

The senators were gathered at the International Conference Centre, Abuja waiting for President Muhammadu Buhari, who was purportedly billed to address them when the Clerk of the National Assembly, Alhaji Salisu Maikasuwa read Buhari’s proclamation of the Eighth Senate and subsequently conducted the election.

She later revealed her reason for ignoring the handshake gesture of Bukola Saraki, senate president, during the inauguration of the eighth national assembly.

Speaking in an interview with The Nation, Tinubu said she had already explained to Saraki, her reasons for snubbing him.

“I had a private meeting with him for less than an hour. And I had the opportunity to tell him why I didn’t shake his hand after my inauguration as a senator,” she said.

“I told him the reason. I said you deprived us from having a swearing-in ceremony. I said that was why I was angry. I said I was angry and that was it. And I have talked to him afterwards. That was the first time I would sit with him in a meeting. I have never had the opportunity.”

The election, which had 23 APC senators in attendance, produced Saraki as Senate President in a unanimous vote while Senator Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP was elected his deputy.

At the end of the election, Saraki administered an oath of office and allegiance to 75 other senators.