Senator Shehu Sani reveals he will stand against El-Rufai for Kaduna governorship

SENATOR Shehu Sani has revealed that he will stand against Governor Nasir El-Rufai for the ticket of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) during the party's forthcoming primaries.

Elected in 2015 to represent Kaduna Central District, Senator Sani has been a fierce critic of Governor El-Rufai since assuming office, leading to a series of bitter spats between the two of them. Over the weekend, while condemning the outcome of the recent local government elections in Kaduna State, the senator revealed that he would be a gubernatorial candidate.

Senator Sani said: “It was very clear that the results of the recently-conducted local council elections in Kaduna State did not reflect what happened. There was no ward congress in the state, they just wrote lists of names and submitted and this situation has worsened the internal crisis among those who used their money to buy forms.

“Let it be known to Governor El-Rufai that I am contesting against him in 2019 governorship election in the state. The election will not be conducted by the state electoral commission.”

He, however, warned that the attacks and killings by Boko Haram insurgents and Fulani herdsmen would affect the political fortune of the APC during the presidential and governorship elections in many states. Of late, senator Sani has been critical of President Muhammadu Buhari's handling of security across the country.