Shehu Sani dumps PRP as attempts to reconcile party factions fail

July 12, 2021 5:51 pm

Shehu Sani, a former senator representing Kaduna central.

Shehu Sani, a former senator representing Kaduna central, says he has “stepped aside” from the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP).

PRP has been embroiled in an internal crisis, which has seen the party being led by two factions.

Attempts to reconcile the Falalu Bello and Sule Bello factions have failed, as both sides have laid claim to being in charge of the party’s affairs.

In September 2020, stakeholders sacked the Falalu-led faction and announced Bello as the interim national chairman.

But Falalu dismissed his sack, saying it was illegal.

The crisis has also caused controversy in other states — including in Anambra, where two candidates of the party, Ebele Precious and Nnamdi Nwanwuo, have been elected at separate primaries as candidates for the PRP in the November 2021 governorship election.

In a letter dated July 9, 2021, and addressed to the party chairman in ward 6, Tudun Wada, Kaduna, Sani said the notice to leave the PRP is with immediate effect.

“I wish to officially notify you of my decision to step aside from the Peoples Redemption Party. This notice takes effect from today,” the letter reads.

“I hope we shall continue to relate in the spirit of our struggle, our shared history and our common ideological principles.”

Shehu Sani joined the PRP in October 2018, after he failed to win the primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2019 Kaduna central senatorial seat.

The national working committee (NWC) of the APC had cleared Shehu Sani as the only candidate for the senatorial district but Nasir el-Rufai, governor of the state, kicked against it.

Subsequently, a primary election was conducted in the district and Uba Sani, the preferred candidate of el-Rufai, was declared winner.

The serving senator had boycotted the primary and filed an appeal, but Uba Sani’s details were sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as the APC candidate for the election.

Shehu Sani served as senator from 2015 to 2019.