The former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has officially declared his intention to contest the 2027 senatorial election.
Confirming the move via his verified X handle, Mr Sani announced that he has purchased the All Progressives Congress (APC) Expression of Interest and Nomination forms for the Kaduna Central Senatorial District.
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Mr Sani, who served as a senator from 2015 to 2019, lost his return bid to the Red Chamber after falling out with the then-governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
Mr Sani was a vocal critic of Mr El-Rufai’s policies in Kaduna, particularly regarding urban renewal projects, the sacking of teachers, and the state’s rising debt profile.
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The breaking point occurred when Mr Sani, as Chairman of the Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, spearheaded the rejection of a $350 million World Bank loan requested by the Kaduna State Government.
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Mr Sani argued that the loan would “trap future generations in a mountain of debt.” But Mr El-Rufai famously retaliated by publicly cursing Mr Sani and two other senators from Kaduna who opposed the loan, labelling them enemies of the people.
During the 2019 primary season, the APC national leadership initially gave Mr Sani an automatic ticket as a reward for his loyalty to the party at the federal level. However, the El-Rufai-led state chapter resisted this, organised a parallel primary that favoured Uba Sani, the incumbent governor of the state.
Faced with what he described as calculated frustration and internal sabotage, Mr Sani resigned from the APC and joined the People’s Redemption Party (PRP) where he unsuccessfully contested the senatorial election. Shehu Sani and Governor Uba Sani are now allies while Mr El-Rufai has left the APC.
Mr Sani has since returned to the APC and now seeks to reclaim his legislative seat in the 2027 election.
