Executives of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Ward 6, in Kaduna South Local Government Area of Kaduna State, have alleged a N3 million bribe by Uba Sani, Political Adviser to Governor Nasir el-Rufai, to engineer the expulsion of the Senator representing Kaduna Central Senatorial zone, Shehu Sani.
Abbas Mohammed Anni, Chairman of Ward 6, Tudun Wada North, while addressing a press conference on Sunday in Kaduna, also called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and other anti-graft agencies to look into the alleged bribery allegation.
He said the silence and in-action over the first N500,000 bribe is what gave them the courage and audacity to come up with a bigger bribe of N3 million this time around.
He said: “We believe the intervention of the EFCC in this bribery allegation will be a further testimony of the Buhari administration’s fight against corruption and deter others from further acts of such criminality.
“We are gathered here today to bring to your notice moves by some unscrupulous elements acting on the orders of the State Governor and his cronies, to create rancor and disaffection within the APC in Kaduna State.
“We have been reliably informed that the political advisers to the State Governor held a closed door meeting with few members of this EXCO and bribed them with the sum of N3 million just to engineer the expulsion of one of our most illustrious leader in person of Sen. Shehu Sani.
“It is very unfortunate that this ugly move is propping up again after the disgraceful episode of a N500,000 bribe that was purportedly given by the same set of people to instigate the alleged suspension of Sen. Shehu Sani about a year ago.”
Anni in the statement read by the secretary of the ward, Ayok Danboyi added: “At this point in time when our state is faced with unprecedented cases of kidnapping, armed banditry in Birnin Gwari, wanton killings that could be likened to a genocide in the southern parts of the state, it is expected that our governor should have channeled state resources into curbing these menace, instead of wasting money and valuable time on fighting imaginary enemies.
“It is now over a year and half since the inception of the Buhari led government, states with focused leadership have commissioned numerous developmental projects, it saddens our hearts that our state Kaduna cannot boast of even a single project that was completed and commissioned under its present leadership. Instead the government has only succeeded in throwing the APC in Kaduna State into turmoil.
“Let me reiterate, let me reemphasise and let me say it again that nobody and I repeat NOBODY can bulldoze or entice us to make the suicidal move of expelling Sen. Shehu Sani who is the most visible and most performing elected officer in Kaduna State from APC. We have 23 Local Government Areas and about 280 wards in Kaduna State. For the State Government to single out Tudun Wada North Ward 6 for financial inducements is very laughable as we have outgrown the era of ‘Ghana must go’ politics.
“Let me make it unequivocally clear that we are solidly with Sen. Shehu Sani not only because he is our son, also for his outstanding performance since being elected as a Senator. We will match word for word and action for action all moves that are aimed at distracting or deterring him from continuing his magnificent work in the National Assembly and Kaduna State.”
Anni called on the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun, the North West Zonal Chairman, Alh. Inuwa Abdulkadir, the APC North West Reconciliation Committee Chairman, Alh. Aminu Bello Masari to act fast “before the Kaduna State Governor and his cronies destroy APC in Kaduna State.
“We cannot sit and watch while some few individuals destroy our collective efforts all in a bid to actualize their selfish political ambitions.”
However, one of the executives Auwal Abdulhameed, who also claimed to be the authentic Secretary of Ward 6, said the allegations against them are false and unfounded.
According to him, “Out of the 17 members of the executives who suspended Shehu Sani, nine of them refused to sign the expulsion.
“Among them is the Chairman of the ward who was given a car by Shehu Sani while the other eight got motorcycles.
“We have petitioned the Commissioner of Police and we shall sue for defamation of character over these accusations that we received N3 million from SA on Political to Governor el-Rufai.”
Abdulhameed also claimed that Danboyi, who read the statement at the press conference, was an impostor. The SA to el-Rufai on Political Affairs, when contacted, declined to make any comment on the allegations.
Source: News Express