On Saturday, Shehu Sani will be seeking a re-election to represent the people of Kaduna Central in the Nigerian Senate. Unlike his 2015 outing, however, the activist will be contesting in a relatively unpopular party, the People’s Redemption Party (PRP). Ahead of the election, he discusses with PREMIUM TIMES’ Kemi Busari his expectations among other trending election issues.
PT: The much talked about election is just around the corner. What’s your view of recent politicking and what are your expectations in terms of ambition to return to the Senate?
Sani: First and foremost my kind of politics is one that is driven by my ideology, my principles, in the history of my struggled and the reality of my society i am of the political elect and I am of the progressive revolutionary class of Nigerians. I am not a politician, I am an activist, one that subscribes to the revolutionary socialist democratic ideas.
The problem of my state is that we have a governor that was imposed on us by the ruling party who has no interest of the masses at heart and who is pursuing policies and programs that not only eliminate the people and marginalise them but also consistently and systematically decimate them politically and socially and economically. And in the region (Northern region), we are dealing with a situation whereby we have a government that has been in the past, unable to address their problems and in the present, has also failed to address their needs but we also have a populace that has been unable to detach themselves from an allegiance to the government and people in the government base on the fact that they come from their region.
Many of the things that are happening in this country would not have been tolerated by many of our people if it was done by people who don’t come from our part of our country and the frustrations we face today is that the South West that has been known to be active, agile, principled in the defence of the ideas of freedom and democracy, have chosen to tolerate or accept or keep a passive presence in terms of these infractions and transgressions and breaches of democratic principle and fundamental right because we believe that in 2023, power is going to the South Western part of Nigeria and in the North, there is still this attitude of supporting government, countering to government solidarising with government as long as it comes from the people in power.
If Buhari wins the 2019 election, the power would certainly go back to the South West. What has been put in place by northern leaders and the government? What preparation has been made for what will happen after 2023?
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There is no doubt that if power move to the southwest part of Nigeria, the first and the major agenda for Nigeria will be restructure. Have the nineteen other stage in Nigeria prepared themselves for that restructuring? None.
PT: Based on that, in the Saturday’s election, are you well convinced that you will win the election and represent your people once again in the senate?
Sani: Well, when we won the 2015 election, all that was said by almost many people is that people won election because they are in Buhari’s party. Their individual politics don’t matter, their record don’t matter, their commitment to the freedom and struggle of their people don’t matter. But no matter what, I feel highly comfortable that if I have one to two, to three thousand people in a rally which I would organise, it is more dignified for me knowing that they come for me, and they believe in me – than having hundred to two hundred thousand people that would be aligned to somebody.
There is no doubt about it, most of these governors in northern Nigeria are most people who are so desperate presenting themselves as Buharist are simply doing so to win political power and i know it very well that Buhari would not know his friends would not know his enemies until he is out of power.
Most of those people who are in political offices would turn their back against Buhari after they have gotten what they want from him. What do they want from him? They simply want to win the 2019 election.
And I can say it clearly that since I left the APC, I have been on aggressive campaign and you can see it from the social media and the traditional media and on the ground see how people have come to me and I would be very pleased that whoever decides to vote for me, has decided to vote for me based on integrity, based on my qualities, based on my personality, based on the principles and ideas which I stand for and not based on the fact that I hide behind the shadow of somebody which they are all doing.
Many of these people cannot even get ten people on their street if they are out of Buhari’s party.
PT: The feud between you and Mr El-Rufai has been running for a while, do you see the election as supremacy battle between you two?
Sani: Well, I would have preferred if it was a test of popularity between the two of us. If he can get out of Buhari’s party and take a party that is not Buhari. Let us now go to the public and see who the public will elect.
So, you cannot hide behind Buhari and then say you want to campaign against somebody who is in a party for which he is being judged based on his personal beliefs and personal ideas.
El-Rufai cannot exist outside of Buhari’s circle. He cannot contest election outside of Buhari’s circle. If he was denied a ticket in APC, he would not have had the courage to join any political party and contest. And I challenge him to go out of Buhari’s party and stand on his own.
Let us not forget, in 2015, he couldn’t win the primary election until Buhari came and rose his hand before primaries which made it possible for him to defeat his opponent.
And again, he supported two senatorial candidates against me and I defeated them. In 2015, he was not able to stop Shehu Sani but now he is in the APC. He cannot claim that the crowd with him are his.
Any vote which El-Rufai will earn will be because of Buhari. Any vote I get will be given because of myself. Why hide under somebody’s shadow and then say you want to fight somebody?
PT: In terms of preparation, are you confident that INEC is ready and will conduct a free and fair election?
Sani: 2019 election will verify and scrutinize the integrity of President Buhari and his government because integrity is not simply about fighting corruption, it is about a leader and his leadership being able to observe and respect democratic principles and also comply with it.
The INEC has no option than to conduct free and fair election. But there are areas beyond the control of INEC. The executive controls the army, the police, the machinery and apparatus of the state. Just as the apparatus of the state can be used against the masses and political opponents, it can also be used against INEC.
For example, INEC cannot deliver election materials without being escorted. If the executive disallow the escort, it cannot happen. We cannot have a free, fair election simply by INEC results; the government must be responsible. If the election is credible, government will share the glory. If it is rigged, government will share the blame.
PT: A lot of people have criticised you base on the back and forth that led to your defection from APC. In some quarters, they say you are pained for the ticket denial and have become a fiercer critic of the party you left. How do you react to this?
Sani: Even when I was in APC, have you ever read me as a supporter? When things are right, I will say they are right. I am not in the APC today but there are some good things that the president has done.
Completion of projects, payment of pensions, there are good things that has happened. The minimum wage bill is good, the disability bill is good. So is it because I criticise the president whenever I see things that are wrong that I won’t state what is right.
The president has done a commendable thing. Even when I’m in APC, I will also say it. but if anybody expect that when I’m in APC, I should be supporting government, I don’t think what is right should be said and what is wrong should be hidden, I cant.
And what did I do? I simply moved. And my battle with El-Rufai started two, three weeks after we assumed office and is still on. So, nothing has changed. What I said when I was in APC is still what I’m saying now.
I have said this in APC and I’m still saying it the government anti-corruption fight is using insecticide and when I’m out, I keep criticising the government. My position hasn’t changed irrespective of party.
PT: There’s a school of thought that says most Nigerian politicians and parties are devoid of ideologies. That they pitch their tents where their interest lie. Do you subscribe to this?
Sani: I think they are not far from the truth. Most of those who are said to have destroyed Nigeria are very much alive and present in the APC and their attitude, the character has not changed.
When President Buhari is criticising president Obasanjo for wasting 16 billion power project and for embarking on a failed third term project, all I said is very clear: that it is the same people who were part of the government that destroyed Nigeria and wasted 16 billion power project are also the same people who are in APC.
The people who worked for third term, who were the engineers and technicians of third term are already very much among the supporters of President Buhari. It is impossible to send OBJ to jail without his fellow culprits and people who have worked in his government.
If you accuse Atiku of selling off public enterprise as an auction, as the chairman of National Council of Privitasation, who is the DG of that company? It is not Nasir-El-Rufai.
Ninety percent of the APC are from the PDP. The APC is party founded on grievances. Founded by people who just wanted to remove the PDP and Jonathan from power.
And many people who supported not because they saw the failures of the PDP, but because they have been schemed out of the power game.
PT: 2019 electioneering has witnessed some applauded developments, one of which is the emergence of underdogs who have persisted in campaigns. Do you think Nigeria is ripe for a third force option?
Sani: If we don’t create a third force that will be able to stand up against the two goliaths, we will continue to be the hostages and people are finding it difficult for smaller political parties because their own idea of politics is not about the pursuit of common goal for the good of the society but rather to profit from it.
Nigerian political space is still being dictated and manipulated by money and monetary considerations that is why people like to listen to presidential candidates of small political parties but they don’t like to join them or vote term into office. That is why I see courage, conviction and I see Nigerians defile the convention and join smaller parties founded on higher goals.
That is why you see people defecting. People who defect to the APC are in three categories: some to run away from the law, some to run away from the poverty of being in the opposition and some are defecting because they cannot survive outside of the circle.
I can tell you that if Buhari wins the 2019 elections, the PDP is finished. So many people will leave to join Buhari. If Buhari loses the 2019 elections, the APC is finished because many people will leave APC and join PDP.
We can say that the way forward for Nigeria’s political space is to demonetise and reject the politics of money.
