Will the real Shehu Sani please shut up?

Mr Sani has been relentless in his verbal attacks against Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai and, on Monday, June 6, 2016, went further to accuse the governor of plotting to kill him.

“We wish to advice El-Rufai that he doesn't need to crush ants or spill the blood of Senator Shehu Sani and others to realize his political ambitions. El-Rufai is not appeased with his suspension of Sen Sani from his pocketed state APC he has now resorted to threats of crushing and marching,” a statement released by Sani’s Special Adviser on Politics and Ideology, Suleiman Ahmed read.

“Our attention has been drawn to a hate speech and threat to life made by Governor Nasiru El-Rufai against distinguished Senator Shehu Sani in the governor's circus christened as Town Hall meeting in Giwa Local Government on 4th June 2016.

“We could have easily dismissed or ignore this statement as tantrums of an accidental governor high on weekend marijuana, but we decided not to take things for granted in view of the petite governor’s mean and vicious history and his allergy to criticism.

“We view his unguarded and provocative utterances as nothing but a hate speech and a direct threat to the life of Senator Sani and others whom the governor perceive as his enemies. We hold Governor Nasiru El-Rufai personally responsible for any harm done on Senator Sani.

“El-Rufai is a desperate and drunken power maniac. He is a Lilliputian despot whose heart and liver cannot take or stand criticism. He is a man angry with his height and frame. He is a man desperate to outshine PMB and all out to crush human beings he calls ants on his way. El-Rufai claimed he wants to make Kaduna great again but he actually wants to make it grave again, proven by his lethal threats against his perceived opponents,” the statement added.

Sani had earlier also attacked El-Rufai for plotting to take over from President Muhammadu Buhari and said that he gave up his governorship ambition because Buhari favoured El-Rufai for the position.

The senator seems to think he’s making sense in his attacks against El-Rufai, but his statements actually come off as the lamentations of a bitter person whose affections have been spurned.

In one of his many statements against the governor, Sani tastelessly said that El-Rufai’s “blockos” is still in the oppositionPeoples Democratic Party (PDP). “Blockos” is gutter slang for penis and the fact that an “honourable” senator could sign off on the use of such a word shows that the concept of leadership in Nigeria needs to be urgently redefined.

To make matters worse for Sani, El-Rufai hasn’t replied any of his rants. In fact, the governor paid Sani a visitthree days after the offensive statement was sent out to commiserate with him on his mother’s death.

El-Rufai has shown that he’s a better man than Sani, and with the plans he has on ground, he is gearing up to be Kaduna’s best governor ever. This obviously doesn’t sit well with Sani who wants the governorship for himself and knows that El-Rufai would be hard to beat.

The “honourable” senator claims that he’s attacking El-Rufai for Kaduna’s benefit, but in actual fact, his attacks stem out of his own insecurities and misgivings.

Senator Shehu Sani should do us all a favour by keeping quiet, minding his business and allowing those who know how to be leaders to do their jobs. The people of Kaduna and indeed Nigerians as a whole will thank him for it.