Apc Leadership Worries Over Shehu Sani’s ‘grammar’ At The Senate
SAN FRANCISCO, February 01, (THEWILL) – The All Progressives Congress, APC leadership has expressed concern at the grammatical expressions used by one of its senators, Shehu Sani while commenting on the anti-corruption posture of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration on the floor of the Senate.
Sani, who represents Kaduna Central Senatorial District, disclosed this to newsmen shortly after meeting with the Chief John Odigie-Oyegun-led National Working Committee, NWC, of the ruling party.
The meeting was called to discuss the interim report the ad-hoc committee on the humanitarian situation in the Northeast headed by Sen. Sani, which indicted the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal.
While faulting a letter purportedly written by the Presidency to clear Mr Lawal of wrong doing, Sani had accused President Muhammadu Buhari during a Senate plenary of using insecticides to fight corruption in the senate while using deodorant to fight corruption in the presidency.
He told reporters that while admitting before the NWC members that his “deodorant and insecticides” comment was rattling, he told them that they should have invited the SGF for calling the Senate and his committee’s report as balderdash.
According to him, “They (NWC) said the party is not opposed to it (report). I also asked them if the party is opposed to my interim report and they said no and so, I asked what their issues were.
“They told me that they are worried and concerned each time I fire some grammar in the senate and it shocks and rattles them while destroying the solidarity within the party and they want me to slow down on some of these cruise missiles. I told them that it is either my honour or that of the letter that was sent by the Presidency.
“I did not in any way attack the President, but I faulted the letter based on three issues.
“First, my name was omitted in the letter as Chairman of the Senate ad-hoc committee. Secondly, the SGF said we did not invite him, but we did invite him and thirdly, the letter said there was no quorum.
“I told them that in as much as my comments about 'deodorant and insecticides' was rattling, they should have invited the SGF for calling the senate and our report balderdash and they said they were also opposed to that language used by him.
“They said they do not want us to wash our dirty linens in the public and I told them that at the end of the day, even if you wash your dirty linens inside the room, you will still have to dry them outside.
“I made clarifications that they are not opposed to corruption investigations, but they are worried by the missiles I used which is causing a lot of discomfort. I told them I was only using literary expression to send my message.
“When I say deodorant or insecticide, it is a clear definition of the bipolar anti corruption crusade that is going on in the country and I believe that there is the need for Nigerians to wake up to these realities,” he said.
Sani however asserted that “nobody can stop the probe”, pointing out that he did not beg to be appointed into the committee.
When asked whether the Senate would insist that the SGF must go, he said; “sacking the SGF is not about Shehu Sani, but about the resolution of the senate and what they said is binding on me. If the senate says he should go, I share in that position and if they say he should remain, I share in that position too.
“We are investigating the massive misappropriation of funds for IDPs in the north east. Nobody can stop that. We are determined to do our work and have done an interim report and we are going to come out with the full details after this break and nobody in the party has said he is opposed to it.
“But I think that their major concern was my grammar,” the lawmaker pointed out.