Shehu Sani Celebrates El-Rufai’s Exit From APC, Says He Was A Liability

Former Kaduna senator Shehu Sani has celebrated the exit of former governor of the state, Nasir el-Rufai, from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

El-Rufai announced his exit from the SDP on Monday.

In a statement heralding his defection, he said his values no longer align with the ruling party’s and vowed to collaborate with leaders of opposition parties to work against the APC in future elections.

Sani, who failed to return to the Senate in 2019, which he blamed El-Rufai for, said indeed it was good El-Rufai left the APC as he had become a liability.

Speaking on Channels TV, he argued that “for those of us from Kaduna State, it is good riddance, because he stands as a liability to the party in the state. I can back this with facts. In 2015, APC had two senators,” he said.

“By 2023, all the senatorial zones were taken over by the PDP and out of the 14 house of representative seats in Kaduna state under Nasir, by the time he left, nine of the seats were won by the PDP and two by the Labour Party and three by the APC.

“And with him as governor, the APC lost the presidential election in Kaduna state, with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu polling about 399,273 votes and Atiku polling about 554,360 votes.

“You can see that by the time he left, the party was already an unpopular platform in the state.

“His exit now is an opportunity for the governor and the party members in the state to embrace the people of the state and set the party towards the next election.

“And it is said by Shakespeare that the evil men do live after them. Nasir evicted so many people out of the party on the basis that he was the alpha and omega.

“Today, all that he has done has returned to him. I think in the past, people waited for the day of judgment. It is dramatic nowadays.

“He evicted us out of the party and was proud to have said that he has sent us to the forest and today the Lord has evicted him to the wilderness.”