Shehu Sani, the senator representing Kaduna Central at the National Assembly, has expressed fears over the conduct of the 2019 general elections, saying the election was under threat.
Sani said this when he featured on a radio programme, ‘The Fact Finder’, on Sweet FM 107.1 in Abeokuta, Ogun State, on Monday.
The senator said there was the possibility of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) deploying public funds to engage in vote-buying in the same manner it did in recently conducted elections in the South West and other parts of the country.
He also alleged that there won’t be a free and fair election until the security apparatus showed neutrality where all voters, including the opposition, were free from harassment and arbitrary arrest.
He said: “There is a possibility that the incumbent could bring in public resources and share it to people for them to buy their votes. And that has happened in some of the elections in South-West and other parts of the country.
“Secondly, we can’t have a free and fair election unless and until the security apparatus of the state is neutral.”
“If they are not neutral or they are abused by the incumbent to threaten others and unleash terror, arresting members of the opposition and thereby making it difficult to have smooth election. Certainly, there would be threats.
“Two threats exist: vote-buying and abuse and misuse of state machinery in favour of the incumbent.”
Responding to a question on his rift with Kaduna State governor, Nasiru el-Rufai, the senator blamed it on political and ideological differences.
Sani recalled that he emerged as senator on the platform of the APC in 2015 because el-Rufai was not yet governor then.
He said: “Even in 2015, I wasn’t his candidate, but I won because he was not the governor. And now he can use the state resources and his proximity to the president. That, for me, is cowardice.
“When I say we differ politically and ideologically, the governor of Kaduna State, Nasiru el-Rufai is from the political establishment.
“These are people who were brought from obscurity by President Obasanjo from PDP, amassed what they could amass and became what they could become.
“He came from PDP political family. In 16 years of PDP, he spent 15 years as a member. So, he is one of those who were baptized in APC and being seen as saints today.
“To my pedigree, after being an activist, I joined Alliance for Democracy, I joined CPC, and then APC. You can see my path is different from his path.”
Sanni also dismissed accusations that the Bukola Saraki-led National Assembly was corrupt, saying that the Muhammadu Buhari-led executive has also not shown difference in terms of probity, accountability, and transparency in the deployment of national resources.
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