Sani Shehu advised President Tinubu to engage with Yari, Kalu and Wase if he wants to deliver his anointed candidates
By Kehinde Okeowo
Activist and former senator, Shehu Sani has advised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to come together if it wants to avoid a repeat of what happened in 2015.
He gave the warning during a recent interview with Channels Television, where he told the party to engage members who are planning to go against the party’s wishes.
Speaking ahead of the inauguration of the 10th national assembly on June 13, Sani argued that only serious consultations can deliver the president’s anointed candidates.
The APC had nominated Godswill Akpabio for the position of senate president and Jibrin Barau as his deputy, it also endorsed Tajudeen Abbas as the speaker of the House of Representatives and Benjamin Kalu as his deputy.
However, some elected APC legislators such as Orji Kalu, Abdulaziz Yari and Idris Wase opposed the zoning arrangement, opting to contest for the positions despite the position of their party.
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If they go ahead with their threats, the party may lose the senate presidency and speakership positions to the rebel groups as it did in 2015, when Ahmed Lawan, who was the anointed candidate of the APC, lost the senate president position to another member, Bukola Saraki.
Speaking about the development, Sani Shehu advised President Bola Tinubu to engage with Yari, Kalu and others to avoid a repeat of 2015.
According to him, to deliver his anointed candidates, there must be consultation, appeasement and horse trading, otherwise, the party may lose out.
He said: “Tinubu being a former senator and he was also part of the circle in 2015 during the Saraki and Lawan issue.
“I thought that by now the first thing he (Tinubu) needs to do, knowing that his party has the majority, is to first of all go into a room with members of his party.
“Talk to Orji Kalu and Yari. Tell them that this is the person I want to support. They will agree with him. But that was not done.
“What is happening in the national assembly is that there are basically two candidates — Akpabio and Yari.
“Akpabio is the anointed candidate of the president while Yari is the rebel leader. I have no doubt that from now to Monday, if there is no serious consultation, appeasement and horse trading, it may go the wrong way for the president.
“One thing I know very well is that if the APC goes to the floor without putting its house in order, the 2015 scenario will re-enact itself, especially if there is secret voting.”