Without Tinubu, Jonathan will still be President – Shehu Sani

Senator Shehu Sani who represents the Kaduna central senatorial district at the National Assembly has acknowledged the massive contribution from the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to the electoral success of the party.

He further blasted his state governor,  Nasir El-Rufai for comments made about Jagaban in a recently leaked letter to President Muhamamdu Buhari.

Governor El-Rufai had in his letter accused a number of top government officials and APC leaders of corruption and ineptitude, urging President Buhari to take drastic steps to get rid of them before his administration completely fumbles.

Reacting to what he perceived as a slight on Asiwaju Tinubu especially concerning his contribution to the political success of the APC in 2015, Senator Sani in a statement on Wednesday described El-Rufai as an ingrate.

Sani who heads the senate committee on local and foreign debts stressed that Tinubu’s contributions, as well as that of the Southwest to the victory of the APC in the last general elections, was unparalleled, contrary to El-Rufai’s claim.

A portion of the statement reads: “The memo written by Kaduna Governor which tends to belittle the contribution of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the Southwest is sad and unfortunate. It is perfidious and the height of ingratitude.

“We must accept the stark truth that without Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu and the principled position of the south West, dislodging Goodluck Jonathan and the then ruling PDP could have still remained a pipe dream, a hollow hope or a political mirage. El-Rufai defecated on a broom that is supposed to clean the littered floor of the nation.”

Sani in the statement published by The Nation further accused the Kaduna governor of smiling with Tinubu in broad daylight and stinging him at night. He also called on El-Rufai to publicly apologize to the APC leader and refrain from making further uncomplimentary remarks.

It will be noted that Senator Sani and Governor El-Rufai, though members of the same political party, have been going at each other following the 2015 elections.

In 2016, Kaduna APC officials loyal to El-Rufai attempted to expel the senator from the party for repeatedly criticising the governor’s policies. The senator, known as a principled activist before his foray into politics, however, vowed not to relent in criticising El-Rufai.