Senator Shehu Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the 8th senate, has warned the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, of an Abiola-like betrayal by the North, should he continue to dine and wine with them in hope of furthering his 2023 presidential ambition.
Sani who spoke in Osogbo, Osun State capital, reminded Tinubu of the treatment Abiola received from Northern powers despite doing so much for the region. And therefore warned Tinubu to thread carefully.
He said: “Well, the person of Asiwaju is the one I know in the field of struggle. We worked together for MKO’s project and for the resistance against the annulment.
“I know him personally. But what I tweeted is more of a Biblical/Shakespearian allegory or whatever one can use in sending a message to someone and what I am trying to say is that as he is allegedly moving towards contesting for the presidency, he should try to know the actual feeling on the ground as far as the North is concerned because I know what Abiola went through.
“Abiola served the North more than any other businessman from the western part of Nigeria. He printed the Quran and shared it with many Muslims. But how did he end up? They (northerners) conspired against him and sabotaged him and at the end of the day, he was gone.”
Sani's warning seem to come handy, especially after the APC leader received a similar warning a few days ago.
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, has warned that Tinubu’s decision to hold his 12th Colloquium in Kano State, as he marked his 69th birthday, won't guarantee him victory should he decide to run for President in 2023.
Gwarzo who is also one of the leaders of the Kwankwasiyya Movement, the move by Tinubu is clear to everyone that, that his choice of venue is “purely a political move, ” and not about enhancing national cohesion as claimed by the APC leader.
He said the APC leader had ample opportunities to show that he is a true national leader but failed to take advantage of those opportunities.
“It (colloquium in Kano) has nothing to do with national cohesion and unity. When people were asked to stand up to be counted, he wasn’t there. So many things happened recently with the most recent one being the barbaric violence that erupted in Shasa, Ibadan. Being a political leader of the South West, at least as far as APC is concerned, Tinubu should have asked for restraint and seen to be active in trying to quell the looming crisis,” he said.
“As someone who is aspiring to be president of this country, Tinubu should have risen to that occasion and talked positively. You don’t just come and hold your colloquium here (Kano) and think that will be a panacea for national unity.
“As far as I am concerned, it is purely a political move, more about 2023. The APC government has failed and Tinubu is not saying anything. So many lives are being lost on a daily basis, not only in the South West.”
Tinubu is among Southwest leaders accused of keeping silence in the wake of threats and attacks against Fulani in the South, especially in the Southwest region.