2023: Kaduna gubernatorial aspirant, Sha’aban, rejects El-Rufai’s ‘consensus’ candidate

A gubernatorial aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna, Alh Sani Sha’aban has rejected Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i’s preferred candidate, Senator Uba Sani as the party’s consensus candidate for the 2023 General elections.

Sha’aban made this known in Kaduna during an interactive session with some Journalists in his residence at the weekend. 

Recall, El-Rufai on Wednesday has hinted that Senator Uba Sani will fly the party’s ticket and directed the other gubernatorial aspirant, Muhammad Sani Dattijo to pick the senatorial form. 

However, in a swift reaction, Sha’aban who also picked his form dismissed Elrufai’s position on the choice of the Senator.

He queried who are also the Stakeholders that gave the governor the powers to do what he did saying, as a   founding member of the party and to the best of his knowledge he was not consulted or contacted before that decision was taken. 

”I happened to be the founding member of the originally APP that culminated into ANPP and went into a merger with three political parties to give birth to what we have today APC. 

On the APC consensus candidate in the state, the gubernatorial aspirant who is also President Buhari’s inlaw said further,’ We were shocked in Kaduna State with more than 3m willing and able registered voters a special arrangement will be made without even the knowledge of some of us who are the first to obtain the nomination form. 

“If democracy is about decisions, about numbers, about exercising one’s independent mind of choice and freedom to make the choice, we believe there’s a snag here. There is buffing here made by the sitting governor of Kaduna State. 

“Unless and otherwise after they enjoyed their eight years in APC, they are no longer interested in the success of APC again in Kaduna State. If they care about what will happen about the future of APC, if they care about the interest of the members in Kaduna State, if they care about the message of President Muhammadu Buhari and the leaders of the APC what they said after they were elected immediately after the just concluded convention, in the spirit of togetherness, the spirit of the successes, the spirit of making APC a very strong and dynamic party in Nigeria should be respected. 

The former member of the House of Representatives maintained that he will fill out his forms and return them in accordance with the party’s directives while waiting for further directives from the party. 

He also stated that he, ” totally rejects the endorsement of Senator Uba Sani as the party’s APC gubernatorial candidate for the 2023 election in Kaduna State. 

“As a democrat and in line with our party’s guideline, I subscribed to the position of the party which says in case there’s is an objection, which there is in Kaduna, a primary election will hold. 

“So you cannot treat me as a nobody. I know my rights. I earned it. I deserve to be informed of any decision. Even if it is a phone call. This is what we intend to do. When you rubbished me, I rubbished you.”