Kaduna Nigeria’s second most indebted state. – Shehu Sani

Sen. Shehu Sani, a former Kaduna senator, said that he lost his Senate re-election bid in 2019 because he opposed former Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s attempts to obtain a 340 million dollar foreign loan.

Sani, who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the Eighth Senate, said this in an interview with journalists in Abuja on Sunday.

“I was determined to speak truth to power, which is why I lost my re-election campaign in 2019. Former Governor Narsir El-Rufai wanted a 340 million dollar loan, which we declined.

“Some of us warned him that such a business would have a detrimental influence on our people, but he went forward with it while viewing us as political adversaries.

“”This political confrontation with El-Rufai influenced several other lawmakers, forcing a considerable number of us to abandon the party.

“In my personal situation, I challenged the governor, and I suffered the consequences by losing my seat,” I heard him say.
However, the well-known pro-democracy activist claimed to have been vindicated today.

“At the time, the governor was opposed to me, as were the state assembly members and many other prominent figures.

“The governor of the state has openly admitted the loan’s negative impact on the state’s finances and economy, demonstrating my thesis. Across the state, several projects were badly constructed, left incomplete, or abandoned. Kaduna is presently the second most indebted state in the country.

“So I am vindicated, even though I lost my seat,” I heard him say.
Sani indicated that he was happy with his role in the controversial loan at the time.

“I’m relieved that, when I die, no one will look to my grave and say, ‘This is the person who signed an approval for the loan that we will pay back in 100 years.'”

“The vindication is more important to me than my return to the National Assembly,” he claimed.

The former lawmaker attributed most of the national assembly’s failure to their refusal to remain loyal to their governors.
This, he argued, frequently resulted in a large turnout of legislators during election years.

Sani, on the other hand, claimed that the high number of new members in Nigeria’s national and state legislatures each election year was bad for the country’s democracy.

He added that in industrialised countries such as India and the United States, some legislators may serve for 30 to 50 years.

However, in Nigeria, a senator who constantly speaks the truth to power is unlikely to be re-elected to the national assembly.
He said that if your actions or statements endanger your state’s governor, you will be prevented from returning to the national parliament.

The former senator went on to say that, regardless of a lawmaker’s qualifications, he could only become Senate President or Speaker of the House if he was the executive’s preferred candidate.

“It’s only during Buhari’s time that a mistake was made in 2015, which made Buhari lose the election at the national assembly.” Then his opponents, Sen. Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara, took over, and you witnessed what happened for four years.

“If elected governor, your survival is dependent on the state assembly, and you cannot allow your opponent to gain control.

“The first requirement for a speaker is loyalty to the governor or president, rather than good English skills, competence, attractiveness, or legislative knowledge.” Sani says: