Shehu Sani Reacts As Wike Fails To Declare Preferred Presidential Candidate

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani has said the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, is taking a political gamble by not declaring his preferred presidential candidate.

Naija News reports that Sani stated this during an appearance on the 2023 Verdict, a special programme on Channels Television on Wednesday.

The former lawmaker stated that Wike does not have the capacity to determine who people should vote for during the election.

He, however, described Wike as an exceptional man that has made a lot of sacrifices for the PDP and he has committed a lot of resources to the development of the party.

He said: “If you contest an election, especially the primary, and lose, it is incumbent on you as a responsible party member to support the candidate of your party.

“Wike is an exceptional man that has made a lot of sacrifices for the party and he has never left the party he has committed a lot of resources and has a lot of supporters all over the country but where does he take them to?

“There are people who are loyal to the party and will tell them at the presidential level vote for A and at the governorship level vote for B.

“Wike is taking a serious gamble. I think that Nigeria has reached a political level where a governor of a state cannot determine the people who they should vote for. At this hour, the people of this country have decided on who they should vote for.”

Speaking on the protests across the country over the scarcity of new naira notes, Sani said the protests are a reaction to the cashless policy and the naira redesign of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN).

“The protests we have seen are a reaction to CBN’s cashless policy and the redesign of naira notes but before then I think it is important that we critically analyze the situation.

“The Federal Government has made a mistake in the policy of redesigning the naira and also the cashless policy. The mistake they made was that there was no wider consultation with Nigerians on how these things can work and how they can be carried along.

“And the National Assembly passed the bill that became an act of the parliament, there was no serious debate and wider consultation within the polity in terms of getting Nigerians to know the implications or consequences of the redesigning policy.

“The way it was done, the mandate of the CBN was very clear and so as far as the governor of the Central Bank is concerned, he can go to the president and get his approval and then it becomes a prescription for all Nigerians.”

Sani said some APC governors objected to the policy of the redesigned currency because they want to use the old naira to buy votes.

He noted that if this redesign was done after the elections, there could not have been anybody going to court or challenging the policy.

“It is not about rigging the election but why is there insistence on using the old naira notes? It is that the people are suffering because if the government said today that you can still use the old naira notes after the election, they will not agree because they want to use the old naira notes to buy votes,” he said.