Buhari denies instructing El-Rufai to punish Shehu Sani by getting him recalled from senate

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has denied claims that he asked Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai to punish Senator Shehu Sani by initiating his recall from the senate for criticising the government.

Over the last fortnight, the ongoing battle between Senator Sani and Governor El-Rufai has come to the fore, threatening to tear the APC chapter in the state apart. Senator Sani had been given an automatic ticket to stand again but Governor El-Rufai refused to accept this, saying that the legislator must be punished for his role in denying the state access to a World Bank loan.

On Saturday, the fresh elections were conducted in which Mallam Uba Sani, the special adviser to the governor emerged victorious with 2,088 votes to the senator’s 15. However, the result was scoffed at by Senator Sani, who had refused to participate in the elections, calling them a kangaroo charade, pointing out that the party had already adopted him as its candidate.

In a leaked memo, Governor El-Rufai had warned President Buhari that there would be serious consequences if the senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District should win a return ticket to the Senate in 2019. Governor El-Rufai claimed in the memo that at a point, President Buhari had directed him to recall Senator Sani because of his many sins.

However, presidential spokesman Mallam Garba Shehu said the president did not receive the leaked memo nor did he ask Governor El-Rufai to deal with the senator. He added that President Buhari would never usurp the role of party leaders by directing that a member should be punished.

Mallam Shehu said:  “The presidency wishes to distance President Muhammadu Buhari from a letter currently in circulation, which alleges that the president had authorised a governor or anyone else for that matter to deal with traitors and disloyal members of the APC, especially Senator Shehu Sani. We wish to confirm that the president is not aware of any such letter, let alone authorising anyone to deal with any party member.

“Given President Buhari’s record, it is inconceivable that he would usurp the role of the party leaders and instruct anyone to punish a party member. In the light of above, we would like to appeal to the general public, especially members of the press, to ignore the false or unauthorised information intended to attribute to the president any action which is not in line with his character.”

Senator Sani has made it clear that he is the APC candidate for Kaduna Central Senatorial District and it appears that the party headquarters agrees with him. So far, APC chairman Adams Oshiomhole has not denied that Senator Sani is the party's candidate.