Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has revealed the reason he left the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and rejoined the All Progressives Congress (APC). Sani, a well-known human rights activist, said he returned to the ruling party after reconciliation efforts led by Kaduna State Governor Uba Sani.
Speaking on Hard Copy, a Channels Television programme, on Friday, the former lawmaker said the political situation that led to his departure from APC in 2018 had changed, making his return necessary.
Why Sani Left APC in 2018
Sani originally left the APC in October 2018 due to disagreements over the party’s primary elections. He later joined the PDP and ran for the Senate but lost to Uba Sani, the current Kaduna State governor, in the 2019 general elections. However, on February 16, 2024, he officially returned to the APC along with other PDP and New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) members in Kaduna.
Reconciliation and Return to APC
Explaining his decision, Sani said Governor Uba Sani played a key role in bringing him back to the APC through reconciliation talks.
“A circumstance led to our mass exit from the APC sometime in 2018, and that circumstance has changed, and then we rejoined the APC in Kaduna State,” Sani stated.
He emphasized that he had always been a core member of the APC, contributing significantly to the party’s growth in Kaduna before his fallout with former Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
“I was a founding member of APC, particularly in Kaduna State. We established structures, and we did the campaigns and won the 2015 elections both at the senatorial and the governorship levels,” he said.
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Falling Out with El-Rufai
The former senator disclosed that he parted ways with ex-Governor El-Rufai due to political and personal differences, as well as disagreements over the governance of Kaduna State.
“We parted ways over differences that are both political, personal, and also issues that affect the state. For that reason, we had to evict ourselves out of the party,” he explained.
However, with a new leadership in Kaduna, Sani said he was convinced to return to the party.
“Now we have a new governor who reached out to us—a governor who has been making consultations, building bridges across the state. We also met and agreed that we should return to the party that we founded in Kaduna State,” he added.
Shehu Sani’s return to the APC has sparked discussions in Kaduna’s political circles. His decision to rejoin the ruling party is seen as a significant political shift, especially as the APC prepares for future elections. Many believe his presence could strengthen the party’s influence in Kaduna, given his past political experience and activism.