Former Senator Shehu Sani has revealed that his opposition to ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s $340 million foreign loan request cost him his re-election bid in 2019.
Speaking in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Sunday, Sani said his refusal to support the controversial loan led to political retaliation that forced him out of office.
Sani stated, “El-Rufai sought a $340 million loan, and we said ‘No’ because we believed it would have severe consequences for the people. He saw us as political enemies and fought back.”
The former senator explained that his stand against the loan not only affected his political career but also caused division within his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), at the time.
“This battle affected several other politicians, forcing many of us to leave the party en masse. In my case, I stood up to the governor and paid the price by losing my seat,” he said.
‘I Was Right About the Loan’s Consequences’
Sani, known for his activism and outspoken nature, insisted that recent revelations by the current Kaduna State Governor have vindicated his position.
“At the time, El-Rufai, the state Assembly members, and many political figures opposed me. But today, even the current governor has publicly admitted that the state’s finances have been crippled by that loan,” he said.
He added that many of the projects meant to be funded by the loan remain abandoned, while Kaduna State has become the second most indebted state in Nigeria.
“This proves I was right, even though I lost my seat,” Sani asserted.
Despite the political cost of his opposition, he expressed no regrets.
He said, “I’m content knowing that when I die, no one will point at my grave and say, ‘This is the man who approved a loan our children will repay for 100 years. That vindication means more to me than returning to the Senate.”
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Governors Control Lawmakers’ Political Fate
Sani also criticized the high turnover of lawmakers in Nigeria, blaming it on their dependence on governors for political survival.
“In Nigeria, if you frequently stand up to speak truth to power, you’ll struggle to return to the National Assembly,” he explained. “If your stance contradicts the governor’s interests, you won’t get re-elected.”
He compared Nigeria’s political system to other democracies where lawmakers serve for decades based on competence and experience rather than loyalty.
“In developed nations like the U.S. and India, legislators stay in office for 30, 40, or even 50 years. But here, loyalty to the governor matters more than competence or experience,” he said.
‘Legislative Leadership Based on Loyalty, Not Merit’
The former senator also lamented that leadership positions in Nigeria’s legislature are determined by political loyalty rather than competence.
“A senator’s qualifications don’t determine if he becomes Senate President or Speaker—it depends on whether he is the president’s or governor’s preferred candidate,” he claimed.
He pointed to the 2015 election of Bukola Saraki as Senate President and Yakubu Dogara as Speaker of the House as a rare case where legislative leaders emerged without full executive approval.
“That was a mistake during Buhari’s first term, and for four years, he struggled with a National Assembly not fully loyal to him,” Sani noted.
He argued that in Nigeria, a lawmaker’s primary qualification for leadership isn’t their eloquence, competence, or legislative knowledge but their total loyalty to the executive.
“In Nigeria, a Speaker’s primary qualification isn’t their intelligence or leadership ability—it’s their absolute loyalty to the governor or President,” he concluded