EL RUFAI VS SANI SHEHU: a rivalry that refuses to end!

Given the path taken by Senator Shehu Sani since
the inauguration of the present administration, it
was predictable that that he would run into
problem with his party, the All Progressives
Congress (APC). The question then is why did he
allow the face-off between him and Governor El-
Rufai to get to the level where he was suspended
from the party. Our correspondent takes a look at
the crisis in Kaduna state chapter of the APC.
The Tudun Wada ward of the All Progressives
Congress (APC) in Kaduna State, on Monday,
suspended the senator representing Kaduna
Central senatorial zone, Shehu Sani from the APC.
Ward executive committee of the party, said it
took the action to suspend Sani because the
senator had made statements that allegedly
violate the rules of engagement of the party,
factionalised the party, and allegedly engaged in
anti party activities by criticizing the policies of
Governor Nasir ElRufai.
They said, “Hardly a week passes by his group
will not be on air criticizing and challenging the
enduring legacies of Mallam Nasir ElRufai, that
his statement on national issues is not in
conformity with that of the state government and
government of Kaduna State.”
Though members of the ward executives of the
party struggled to explain their action with little
success, the suspension of Senator Sani was
something that was predicted weeks before the
hammer finally fell on him.
What puzzled many however was why the
Senator chose to ignore the danger signals ahead
and elected to continue his criticisms of policies
and actions of the government.
Was Sani confident that given his position as a
senator from the state that the APC could not
afford to touch him or was it that he had a plan
‘B’ in the event the party decides to move in the
manner it did last week.
Reactions from both the senator and his camp
since the party took the decision on him points to
the fact that he had anticipated the move.
Shortly after the letter was availed the press, it
was an unruffled Sani who declined comment on
the matter but chose that his lieutenants address
the matter.
Even after the state chapter of the APC took up
the matter and endorsed the action of the ward
exco, Sani chose not to join issues with them but
allowed his associates to take up the matter at
that level.
Our correspondent learn that that senator
continued with his legislative business in Abuja
and did not, as expected, rush home to douse the
fire.
Some of his critics say his posture is due to the
fact that some powerful forces within the party
are behind him and that any attempt to further
stretch the mark of humiliation against the
senator would elicit a reaction from that quarter.
While it is not clear who the forces backing the
senator are, it is clear that the forces against the
senator are not willing to engage him in a fight all
alone and had to apply tact in dealing with the
issue so as to gain the sympathy of powerful
leaders of the party at the national level.
When the senator began his criticism of the El-
rufai government almost immediately it was
inaugurated, the governor and his team, were
quick to react, but it turned out that they later
changed tactic and began to ignore whatever was
coming from the senator.
One of the aides of the governor told our
correspondent that the action was deliberate in
order not to ‘glorify’ Sani saying it was decided
that the governor should rather continue working
as a way of shaming his critics.
“When you begin to engage these people, you will
only succeed in drawing attention to them and
that is what they are looking for, so for us it was
better to remain focused and continue our work,”
he said.
But the explanation as it turned was merely side
stepping the real issue.
While it chose to ignore Sani in comments
against the policies of the el-Rufai government,
leaders of the party in the state whose loyalty are
to El-Rufai quickly woke from slumber when the
senator made a comment on the anti corruption
stance of the President Muhammadu Buhari
administration.
The manner it latched on to that particular
comment gave the game away and exposed the
fact that it was only waiting for the right
opportunity to strike.
Senator Sani was reported as saying that the anti
-corruption crusade of the current administration
has political undertone.
Few days after he was reported to have made the
statement, elders of the APC in Kaduna State
wrote a petition to the state chapter of the party
complaining about it saying it exposes the
senator as acting against the interest of the
party.
Taking a cue from the elders, the state executive
committee of the party quickly set up a
disciplinary committee which invited the senator
to defend himself against charges of making
statements against leaders of the party.
Sani, as expected, refused to honor the invitation
saying he does not recognize the officials of the
party that set up the committee.
Sani through his legislative aide explained that as
far as he is concerned, the APC in Kaduna does
not have an exco. He said those inviting him to
answer to allegations of anti-party are only
stooges of the state governor acting out a script.
It wasn’t quite a week after that the suspension
letter from the ward came leading to a whole lot
of activities within the party.
The ward chapter of the party in the letter to the
senator dated December 27, said the suspension
is for a period of eleven months and that
henceforth the senator is disengaged from
partaking in or attending party activities in
Kaduna State.
In a quick follow up, the Kaduna State chapter of
the party quickly endorsed the action of the ward.
In a statement signed by the acting publicity
secretary, Salisu Tanko Wusono, it said it was left
with no option but to endorse the suspension in
order to restore discipline to the party.
But barely 24 hours after that, another party
member, Alhaji Danladi Wada; came out to
rubbish the authenticity of the state exco claiming
chairmanship of the party.
Wada in a statement said he contested for the
office of the deputy state chairman and was duly
elected and presented with a certificate of return
in July 2014 but that rather than allow him
function as deputy chairman, one Shuaibu Idris
was brought in and ‘imposed on the party as
deputy chairman.’
Wada insisted that since the state chairman of
the party has resigned his position and has since
assumed position as deputy governor of the state,
he should have been made the acting chairman.
“This impunity must stop in APC Kaduna State
and allow legitimate elected officials operate their
statutory functions as state executives of the
party,” he stated.
Political aide to Senator Sani; Mr. Suleiman
Ahmed also fired back at the state exco of the
party.
He said it was clear that those who suspended
Sani are ignorant of the laws of the APC.
He said though it is clear from the letter that the
people are out to stop the senator from voicing
out his views about what he considers as the
anti people policies of the ElRufai administration,
that it will not stop him from expressing his
views when he feels the policies are not for the
good of the people of the state.
“They are toeing the line of the state secretariat
of the party, so our reaction is that those that
wrote this letter are ignorant of the party’
constitution and they are dancing to the tune of
the state executive of the party and Governor
Nasir ElRufai,” he said.
Quickly following that, elders of the party in the
state who have sympathy for Sani asked the
party to withdraw the suspension on the senator.
The elders in a statement said they are concerned
over the deteriorating state of the party in Kaduna
State and have decided to come out to save the
party from further problems.
“The purported suspension of Senator Shehu Sani
is one example of the result of the degeneration
which is bound to occur as a result of the hijack
of the remnants of our party by a clique that
believes it owes its loyalty only to the Governor.
“The questionable legality of the suspension and
the childish reasons given for it demands that
responsible members of the party speak up and
demand a stop to the embarrassing melodrama
that is unfolding,” they said in the statement by
16 of the elders which included, Hakeem Baba-
Ahmed, Mataimaki John Miyashi, Ambassador
Sule Buba, Alhaji Kabir Umar, Alhaji Ibrahim
Yaro and others.
Our correspondent learns that Sani who has
disagreed with the suspension has decided not to
rush to the court on the matter but explore means
to settle the issue within the party.
At the bottom of the exchanges remains who will
control the soul of the party ahead of 2019.
While those who feel left out from the scheme of
things want to be compensated with party
positions that are currently vacant, the state
governor wants to maintain a structure that will
be loyal to him.
Pundits say with the way things are going, the
suspension issue would end up as one of the
skirmishes within the party before the major
crisis.
Since the inauguration of the APC administration
in Kaduna State, it became clear that the party
which won majority of the seats contested for,
going by the conduct of its members was heading
towards a major crisis.
The surprise element is that it is coming too
early.