Following the gale of defection that recently hit the All Progressives Congress, the Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the National Assembly, Senator Shehu Sani, has said that he is still maintaining his membership of the ruling party in deference to the wishes of the people in his constituency and out of respect for some prominent Nigerians who have counseled him on the matter.
Sani, who described himself as one of the masterminds of the plot by National Assembly members to defect from the APC, said his decision to dump the ruling party would have to be ultimately determined by the electorate in his constituency.
The lawmaker stated this in a chat in Abuja against the backdrop of his initial moves to leave the ruling APC.
He disclosed that having been engaged in discussions by the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, with whom he had been in the struggle for a better Nigeria in the past 30 years, and counseled by elders statesman and second republic governor of old Kaduna State, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, as well as the National Leader of the ruling party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, he had decided to tarry a while.
Sani, therefore, noted that he would not join the bandwagon of defectors without first taking into consideration the necessary issues involved.
He said, “I am not just one of those who wanted to move. I was a major participant in the plot to dump APC. I was engaged by the leadership of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, who we have been together in the trenches for over three decades. There were also intervention on my own side from my father, Alhaji Balarabe Musa, and Ahmed Tinubu, and on the other hand, I come from a constituency whose views and whose positions are as important as political decision of mine is concerned. And in every sense of the word, joining a political party and exiting from a political party should not simply be a bandwagon effect. You must be convinced and you must be convinced with your conscience to move”.
Also speaking on the planned removal of the current leadership of the National Assembly, particularly the Senate, Sani warned that it would be dangerous to circumvent the law to achieve this.
Sani said, “There are ways we can address this issue. Defection is a seasonal storm in political climate in the way you have the rainy season. When it happens, you now have to take it and embrace the reality and look at the way you can navigate the political terrain.
“As it is now, the National Assembly, in reality, is being led by the opposition. But this is also from my knowledge of what is happening, particularly in the Senate. The numbers are not there, the numbers to remove the Senate President are not there. And also the numbers to remove those on the side of the Presidency or to do anything untoward to the President is also not possible. But it is possible to have a collision that may not lead to the removal of the Senate President, but will lead to the closure of the National Assembly. But I don’t think that we should do, when we have such cases of defection.
“There are four ways we can go about it. Both sides must first of all put the interest of the country first. Secondly, nobody must be persecuted for his political decision. Thirdly, the Parliament must not be a stumbling block for government policies and the office of the President should be given the highest respect. Fourthly, there is the need to bring an end to inflammatory statements, combative utterances and belligerent postures. And I think if we do that, we can have a smooth running of the state. If we refuse to do that, we will have a collision and the rest of the time of this administration, the Senate and the National Assembly will simply be in chaos and confusion and that is not in the best interest of the country.”
