N10m Bribe: It’s All Lies Against Sen Shehu Sani – APC Kaduna Election Panel Member

BY AMOS TAUNA, KADUNA – The last may not have been heard about the bribery allegation leveled against Senator Shehu Sani by Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) primaries election committee in Kaduna State, as a committee member, Mr Hakeem Okedara says no such thing ever happened in the course of performing their assignment.

This is even as the Senator’s camp says; it is laughable for the Committee’s Chairman to claim that an aspirant, who was already the sole candidate for in Kaduna Central Senatorial District, offered him financial inducements to influence the primaries.

Describing the claims as a ‘blatant lie’, Okedara member said the out-spoken Senator, who represents Kaduna Central in the National Assembly, never offered the panel anything like bribe to carry out any task.

In a telephone conversation with Forefront, Mr Okedara distanced himself from reports that Senator Sani attempted bribing the Panel members through him in order to manipulate result of the primaries election conducted last week in the State.

Putting the records straight, Okedara said like every other a good party man, the lawmaker only pledged his support to make the Committee’s work smooth and successful during the period of its stay in Kaduna.

Chairman of the APC Electoral Committee that conducted the Kaduna State primaries, Hon Matthew Iduoriyekemwe, had last week claimed that Senator Shehu Sani offered the members N10 million to manipulate results of the primaries in favour certain aspirants.

Hon Mathew further alleged that Senator Shehu Sani approached Mr Okedara to facilitate or act as the go-between them, a claim that Okedara has since debunked.

However, reacting through his media aide, Senator Shehu Sani said the committee chairman probably had a dream to that effect, adding; “It is laughable for him to claim an aspirant who was the sole candidate cleared in Kaduna central offered him financial inducements.

“First of all, Senator Shehu Sani virtually had no rival in the primaries. He was the only aspirant cleared. So what does he need to bribe the Committee for?

“Secondly, when the committee and the state government connived to stage the fake senatorial primaries in Kaduna state, Senator Shehu Sani made it crystal clear that he wasn’t going to participate in the so-called primaries because it was an illegality. So, when you look at it from all angles, Senator Shehu Sani had no reasons whatsoever to bribe the Committee.”

According to him, “Senator Shehu Sani is a distinguished and law abiding citizen, who has over the years earned a good name for himself through his uncompromising stance against corruption.

“It is obvious that some desperate politicians who have become synonymous with failure are behind all this baseless and frivolous accusations.

“Just like all their attempts to malign, frame up, intimidate and harm Sen Shehu in the past failed, this one too has failed on arrival.”

“No amount of blackmail will deter or distract Senator Shehu Sani. We stand by the mandate given to him by the APC and good people of Kaduna central, and as usual, that mandated shall be put to good use for the betterment of our people”, the Senator said