An All Progressives Congress governorship aspirant in Kaduna State, Alhaji Sani Sha’aban, on Saturday, rejected Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s endorsement of Senator Uba Sani as the party’s governorship candidate for the 2023 elections in the state.
The aspirant argued that the so-called endorsement by the governor of the lawmaker representing the Central Senatorial zone as his preferred candidate ahead of the party’s primary did not receive the blessings of 90 percent of the APC members and stakeholders in the state.
Sha’aban who bought the N50 million expression of interest and nomination forms had twice contested the governorship elections since 2007 under the defunct All Nigerian Peoples Party which merged with other parties to form the All Progressives Congress.
It could be recalled that governor El-Rufai had anointed Uba Sani from the ‘core team’ as his preferred candidate to succeed him after his tenure lapses in 2023.
However, Sha’aban, while addressing journalists on Saturday in Kaduna, argued that as a founding member of the ANPP which merged to form the APC, and one who first purchased the expression of interest and nomination forms, he was not consulted, describing the process as “undemocratic.”
Sha’aban, who is also a former House of Representatives member representing Zaria, added that anything short of conducting a free and fair primary would be rejected in totality by him and his teaming supporters across the state.
The governorship hopeful added he was optimistic that in the primary, he would garner 90 percent of the entire votes, saying that the delegates who were democratically empowered to choose their preferred candidate, be allowed to do so.
Sha’aban said, “Two days ago, Kaduna State woke up with the news that the incumbent governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has endorsed one Distinguished Senator Uba Sani representing Kaduna Central Senatorial zone to be the consensus APC governorship candidate for the 2023 gubernatorial election.
“We receive the news with mixed feelings because as a founding member of the APC and the first governorship aspirant to purchase the form, I was not contacted on any consensus arrangements which I consider an insult to my person.
“Consensus is undemocratic because democracy is about people and numbers except if the present administration is not concerned about the success of the party in Kaduna State, otherwise the spirit of success of making the APC a dynamic party should be respected.
“Government is about fairness, justice, and addressing the yearning of the people. The APC should be a uniting government and not be a divisive government stampeding on the weak. Today, religion has divided us as a people in Kaduna State.”
He added, “So, all I am saying is that we reject in totality anything called consensus arrangements, it is an attempt to render all delegates useless which is against the democratic process. I also wish to make it clear that I cannot be rubbished because if you rubbish me, I will rubbish you, the democratic process must be followed and respected, and all those who purchased form must be allowed to go for primary.
“We are not fighting anybody. We are peaceful. All we are asking is that the democratic process must be respected. The only way to achieve it is to allow anybody that obtained the form to go in and participate in the primary election.
“If it is only 10% that we can we have and it is justifiable, we will accept it and if God says we are getting 90% which I am sure of, then, allow us to get our victory of 90%. That’s the message. No more, no less.
“There are delegates in the state from the ward and local government levels who are democratically charged with the responsibility to elect their representatives into various positions but we are shocked that a special arrangement was made without even the knowledge of some of us who are the first to buy the nomination forms.”
Also, on his part, the Director-General of Sani Mohammed Sha’aban Campaign Organisation, Joshua Ephraim, said, democracy should be about freedom, adding that they would not allow the governor to have his way on any consensus arrangement.
“We call on the party at the national level to monitor the activities of the state. Let there be fairness, justice, and rule of law because the party is in danger of being seen in a bad light if this consensus arrangement is allowed to scale through,” he said.
