Nasir El-rufai, the governor of Kaduna State has narrated how President Muhammadu Buhari directed him to initiate a recall process of Senator Shehu Sani.
Mr Sani who represents Kaduna Central at the Senate has not been in good terms with his state governor.
The vocal lawmaker who seeks to return to the upper legislative chamber under the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has had Mr El-rufai to contend with. The governor wants to replace the lawmaker with his own candidate.
Sani, one of the lawmakers who was prevented from recently defecting from the APC, is among the three Senators from the State who are embattled with their state governor. While two others have left the party to pitch their tent with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Kaduna Central lawmaker refused to join them on the basis that he will be returned to the red chamber by the national leadership of the APC.
An automatic ticket granted to him recently has been revoked due to the influence of his governor. He will then then have to battle it out in a primary if he will return to the upper legislative chamber on the platform of the APC even though his chances of coming out victorious are slim.
Narrating how the president ordered for the recall of the Senator, El-rufai said Mr Buhari gave him the mandate earlier this year but he decided to oust Sani through the ballot because a recall process initiated against a Senator, Dino Melaye, did not see the light of the day.
Mr Melaye’s recall was initiated by his state governor, Yahaya Bello. As at press time, NGPOLITICS could not independently verify if Mr Buhari ordered Mr Bello to initiate the recall process of Mr Melaye.
Just like Sani, Melaye has not had a pleasant relationship with his state governor. He recently defected to the PDP.
In a letter dated October 2 to the president, El-rufai compiled the sins committed by Sani against him, the president and the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“When your excellency traveled to London in April 2018 for medical consultation, Shehu Sani ridiculed it on Facebook as ‘Voyage to London, Season 3,” the letter read.
“In May 2018, he lamented what he said was Buhari’ s three years of failure to protect human lives.
“In the same month, he wrote that ‘Baba should protect his testicle from any man who always bends down to greet him.
“Your excellency will recall that earlier this year, you directed me to initiate processes to recall Shehu Sani from the senate to punish his repeated acts of contempt and disloyalty.
“Following your directive, our team in Kaduna studied what was being done in Kogi state regarding the recall of Dino Melaye and drew up a budget. Upon examination of the costs and loopholes in the recall process as brutally exposed in Dino Melaye’s case, and in recognition of the immense of preparations for the next elections, it was decided that it may be more prudent to oust him at the ballot.
“The party executives in his ward in Kaduna suspended him from APC in December 2015 for negative comments about your excellency. It was later extended to indefinite suspension in 2016.”
El-Rufai said it is clear that the APC does not need Sani but that the lawmaker needs the party urging the APC not to give the lawmaker the opportunity to misbehave again by choosing him as its Senatorial candidate.
