By Omoyeni Ojeifo
Former Kaduna Senator Shehu Sani has cautioned the All Progressives Congress (APC) to steer clear of the internal pitfalls that triggered the PDP’s downfall.
He gave the warning while featuring a Channels TV interview monitored by Persecondnews on Sunday.
Sani warned that lingering internal friction could compromise the ruling party’s foundation ahead of future polls.
He urged the APC to scrutinize the 2015 collapse of the PDP as a cautionary tale to prevent a similar political implosion.
“What brought down the PDP had to do with their inability to manage their internal crisis and also their inability to accept the fact that every member of the party is important,” he said.
The former lawmaker stressed that while politicians were free to join the APC, the party must ensure fairness between old members and new entrants to preserve unity.
“As people migrate to the ruling party, it is bound to also come with the migration of the problems they ran away from in the other parties,” he stated.
Sani also criticised attempts to alter Senate standing rules in ways he described as self serving, warning that such moves could eventually backfire.
“When people occupy positions in government and attempt to tamper with extant laws to favour themselves, they should be very careful because it can turn against them,” he noted.
He said this in was reaction to controversies surrounding amendments affecting eligibility for principal offices in the Senate, particularly the office of the Senate President.
According to him, ranking senators should retain the right to contest for principal offices without targeted restrictions.
The former senator maintained that zoning of principal offices in the National Assembly was a long-standing political convention aimed at ensuring balance and representation.
He, however, argued that changing Senate rules to stop perceived rivals from emerging was unhealthy for parliamentary stability.
“Trying to juggle the laws in order to serve a certain premeditated end is just not right,” he added.
On the performance of the current Senate led by Senate President Godswill Akpabio, Sani said the 10th Senate had performed better than the immediate past assembly headed by Ahmad Lawan.
He nevertheless described the 8th Senate under Bukola Saraki as the most independent since 1999.
“In our time, Saraki and Dogara emerged with little interference from the executive and we had the independence to perform our duties,” he said.
Sani also defended his ambition to return to the Senate, arguing that Nigerians often pay more attention to presidential elections while overlooking the importance of lawmakers.
He added that Nigeria’s democracy depends not only on executive leadership but also on the strength, independence, and credibility of the legislature.
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