US embassy cable - 02ABUJA1851

C O N F I D E N T I A L SECTION 01 OF 02 ABUJA 001851 
 
SIPDIS 
 
 
E.O. 12958: 
TAGS: PGOV, KWMN, NI, HUM 
SUBJECT: MEETING WITH REPRESENTATIVE GBEMI SARAKI, KWARA STATE 
 
 
CLASSIFIED BY POL COUNS BRIAN BROWNE FOR REASON 1.5 (B) AND (D) 
 
 
1. (C) Gbemisola "Gbemi" Saraki Forowa, a member of the 
House of Representatives from Kwara state, was born into 
Nigeria's political elite. Her political muscle comes from 
being the daughter of Olusola Saraki, the godfather of 
Kwara State politics and an important cog in the APP.  As 
with most successful women in Nigeria, her father, a former 
Presidential candidate, facilitated her political career. 
Over lunch Gbemi, an opinionated and often colorful 
speaker, provided her thoughts on the state of Nigerian 
politics. Although contending that politics is a "man's 
game," Gbemi claimed to play the game as hard as her male 
counterparts. End Summary. 
 
 
----------------------------------------- 
 Women in Politics: 
 ---------------------------------------- 
 
 
2. (C) Though clearly relishing the game, Gbemi said she 
would discourage her own daughter from adhering to her 
footsteps. It is impossible for a woman to successfully 
manage a career in politics and a family, she said, citing 
meetings routinely held between 11pm and 4 am as evidence 
of deliberate attempts to discourage women. Gbemi explained 
that the barriers women face range from major hurdles to 
the petty biases. For example, women in the National 
Assembly are expected to wear traditional head wraps. Gbemi 
recalled being scorned on the floor of the Assembly for not 
dressing according to tradition; she said she will never 
make that mistake again. 
 
 
----------------------- 
For the Love of Na'abba 
----------------------- 
 
 
3. (C) Further, she said that women in politics often find 
themselves the victims of rumors about adultery.  Gbemi, 
who is divorced, has faced accusations of a tryst with her 
mentor, House Speaker Ghali Na'abba. She was candid about 
Na'abba's financial improprieties, but stated that the 
attempt to impeach Na'abba in May was engineered by the 
Presidency and Obasanjo supporters in the House.  They 
wanted to remove Na'abba because of his public opposition 
to Obasanjo on key matters ranging from the electoral law 
to the federal budget. While acknowledging the Speaker has 
dipped his hand into the jar, she defended him, stating 
that Speaker was behaving in time-honored tradition. It is 
customary in Nigeria to use public funds to develop one's 
political network. Gbemi said, the voters expect 
politicians to come with money and bags of rice for votes. 
However, because of Na'abba's riff with the President, he 
does not receive any government contracts which he could 
parlay into funds for his political war chest. Instead, he 
must make his own way by using House funds and his position 
as Speaker to get favorable loans. She concluded her 
thoughts on the Speaker by stating adamantly that although 
claims of Na'bba's misappropriation are without a doubt 
true, he will not be removed because of his popularity with 
most House members. 
 
 
-------------------- 
Thoughts on Obasanjo 
-------------------- 
 
 
4. (C) Clearly a die-hard APP partisan, Gbemi painted a 
picture of Obasanjo as vindictive, temperamental leader. 
She told a story of one of Obasanjo's personal assistants 
whose honesty angered the President. Driving pass the new 
30 billion Naira stadium under construction on the way from 
the airport, Obasanjo voiced exasperation about people who 
criticized the cost and utility. The assistant tried to 
explain that people were not necessarily adverse to the 
stadium but some felt there were more pressing social 
problems to which the funds could have been directed. 
Fuming, Obasanjo told the driver to stop the car and 
ordered his assistant to make the rest of the journey by 
foot. (Comment: This is one several such stories in 
circulation. Many of the tales are likely apocryphal. 
However, they have currency because they fit popular 
perceptions of Obasanjo's character. Whether real or make- 
believe, the tales reinforce negative opinions of the 
President, steadily damaging his image.) 
 
 
5. (C) Gbemi said Obasanjo's autocratic behavior has caused 
him to lose support in his own PDP party. The President 
views himself as "the Messiah", she opined.  Gbemi said 
that she is close to the National Security Advisor, Aliyu 
Mohammed, who she believed could resign from his current 
position because he has been marginalized by the 
Presidency. Mohammed may emerge as the candidate to 
represent the North, she felt. 
 
 
6. (C) On the other hand, the Vice President, Gbemi said, 
has betrayed his fellow Northerners. Gbemi continued, 
Obasanjo is using the Vice President to his own detriment 
and in fact may be putting Atiku's life on the line. 
(Comment: Gbemi did not elaborate further but she was 
clearly implying the Vice President was liable to haveother 
untoward experiences such as the stone throwing incident in 
Kano.) 
 
 
7. (C) Despite the internecine feuding within the party, 
Gbemi revealed that she is considering a switch to the PDP. 
Although questioned, she made almost no mention of her 
father's plans or rumors that he is also thinking joining 
the PDP. Her desire to change allegiance probably are due 
to frustration with her father's diminished influence 
within the APP party and the recently announced change of 
the APP party to the ANPP. Gbemi's closeness to Na'abba may 
also be a factor. 
 
 
8.  (C) Comment: Gbemi Saraki's comments were illuminating 
and show the extra burden that female politicians carry. 
While her statements that Na'abba's malfeasance was not 
extraordinary may be true, her nonchalance about his 
transgressions was troubling. Confirming what Gbemi stated 
about the riff between NSA Mohammed and the president, 
other other sources have also indicated that Mohammed  may 
break camp; yet  we doubt if he will try to hoist his own 
presidential banner. Most likely, neither will someone 
closer to Gbemi, her father.  Like father, like daughter: 
recent newspapers report that he too will abandon the APP 
for the PDP, increasing the anti-Obasanjo quotient within 
the party by two. 
 
 
ANDREWS