One week after removing the senator Jacques Wagner (PT-BA) from the position of government leader in the Senate, the president Lula (PT) arrives in Bahia this Wednesday (1st) for a marathon of openings.
It will be the president’s first public act alongside his ally and friend for more than four decades, who was the target of the operation. Federal Police put suspected of having received payments linked to the Master Bankfrom Daniel Vorcaro.
Lula participates in government agendas in the cities of Alagoinhas, Vera Cruz and Salvador, but does not remain in the capital of Bahia the following day for the procession of July 2nda date that marks the expulsion of the Portuguese in 1823 and the consolidation of independence of Brazil in Bahia.
The president was advised against participating in the procession this year due to medical recommendations, as he underwent radiotherapy sessions in recent months following the removal of skin cancer.
It will be the first time in four years that the president will miss the event. He participated in the civic act from 2022 to 2025, when he paraded in an open car at the party marked by strong popular participation.
Lula’s reunion with Jaques Wagner takes place amid internal tensions within the PT following the Federal Police operation. But the president’s direct collaborators are committed to an effort to create a climate of normality during the events.
An ally of Lula states that the feeling of friendship between the two should prevail in him. According to reports, in the conversation in which Wagner’s removal from leadership was sealed, the president expressed confidence in his innocence, highlighting the need to prove it.
Some PT members do not rule out the possibility of the president making a deference, a possibility seen, however, as more remote.
A government wing defended the removal of Jaques Wagner from the leadership for fear that the fragments of the Master case would affect the president’s image. On the other hand, sectors of the party argue that the senator must be strengthened, so as not to undermine the strength of Lula’s platform in Bahia.
The state was fundamental to the president’s victory in 2022 by guaranteeing a front of four million votes in relation to Jair Bolsonaro (PL).
Another focus of controversy in Bahia is the situation of Eduardo Sodré, stepson of Jaques Wagner who was targeted by the Federal Police. The researchers identified a payment of R$3.5 million from PLK One, a firm linked to the Credcesta operation, to a company owned by his wife, Bonnie Bonilha.
Sodre is Secretary of Environment of Bahia since 2023. On Monday (29), the governor Jerônimo Rodrigues (PT) guaranteed that the senator’s stepson would remain in office.
“There is no way we are going to remove him without any kind of concrete motivation, evidence. Eduardo is a lawyer, he is defending himself. For him, for his family, my solidarity,” said the governor.
The secretary’s stay, however, generated discomfort among some of Jerônimo’s allies, who fear that the case will spill over to the governor. The assessment is that Sodré should take the initiative to leave his position, following the same path as his stepfather, who left the leadership of the Lula government.
Jacques Wagner resumed its public agenda last Friday (26), when he participated in a series of political events in western Bahia. On that occasion, Jerônimo Rodrigues publicly defended his ally.
“Beyond a leadership position, there is Brazil and Bahia. And we will show, we will prove that, if you have a mistake in life, for them the mistake is taking care of the poor and dedicating your life. We trust you”, stated the governor.
The following day, Wagner said he was innocent again and classified the suspicions raised in the operation of the Federal Police.
In interview with Sheetthe senator admitted to having a relationship with businessman Augusto Lima, a former partner of Master, and stated that he did not know the governor or mayor who does not have relationships with businesspeople.
He also said that he complained to Lula about the role of the Federal Police in the operation of which he was the target, particularly the disclosure of photo with foreign currency banknotes seized in the apartment where he lives in Brasília.
Lula’s agendas in Bahia will have an institutional character. The president participates in the inauguration of a hospital in Alagoinhas, north of the state. Afterwards, it goes to Vera Cruz to begin assembling the temporary platform for the construction of the 12-kilometer megabridge between Salvador and Itaparica Island.
At night, Lula goes to the reopening of the Castro Alves Theater, in Salvador, renovated with an investment of R$260 million. The reopening of the theater will feature performances by Gilberto Gil, Lazzo Matumbi, Simone, Virgínia Rodrigues, Sued Nunes and Orquestra Sinfônica da Bahia.
