An All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial aspirant in Kaduna state, Hon. Sani Mohammed Sha’aban, has rejected the reported endorsement of Senator Uba Sani as consensus candidate, by Governor Nasir el-Rufa’i, and some other party leaders.
Sha’aban who was the defunct All Nigerian People’s Party (ANPP) governorship candidate in 2007 and that of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in 2011 before both parties collapsed with Congress of Progressive Change (CPC) to become APC ahead of the 2015 general elections, described “the purported endorsement” as undemocratic.
Addressing a press conference in Kaduna on Saturday, the governorship aspirant said 90 percent of the APC members and stakeholders in the state were not in support of the endorsement, adding that anything short of gubernatorial primaries will be rejected in totality by him and his numerous followers.
The former member of Federal House of Representatives said it was an insult on his personality as a founding member of the party, and being the first to purchase the governorship form, not to be consulted before such position was reached only for him to read it on the pages of newspapers that the governor has anointed Uba Sani as APC consensus candidate.
Speaking further, Sha’aban said the party came to power in 2015 and 2019 through democratic process and has enjoyed goodwill of members, hence the party must not deviate from such democratic norms if it must continue to enjoy goodwill not only from members of the party but Nigerians in general.
“We receive the news of the endorsement of Senator Uba Sani as consensus candidate by Governor Nasir el-Rufai 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 on my person.
“Consensus is undemocratic because democracy is about people and number except if the present administration is not concerned about the success of the party in Kaduna state, otherwise the spirit of making APC a dynamic party should be respected. Government is about fairness, justice and addressing the yearning of the people. APC should be a uniting government and not a divisive government stampeding on the weak,” he said.
He reiterated that his aspiration is among other reasons to give the people a sense of belonging and to render selfless service and better the lots of the people of Kaduna state.
“Today, religion has divided us as a people in Kaduna state. Nigeria is not under a military dictatorship but democracy, but am sorry to say that that is not the case in Kaduna state because consensus is being used to decieve people in Kaduna state.
“We reject in totality any consensus arrangements, it is an attempt to render all delegates useless which is against democratic process. I also wish to make it clear that I cannot be rubbished, because if you rubbish me I will rubbish you, democratic process must be followed and respected. All those who purchased form must be allowed to go for primaries,” he said.
Sha’aban’s campaign Director General, Chief (Barrister) Joshua Danladi Ephraim, said democracy should be about freedom, not consensus arrangement.
“We will not allow a lawless situation in APC. 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 bad light if this consensus arrangements is allowed to scale through,” he said.
