The Kaduna State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has endorsed the suspension of radical senator Shehu Sani from the party.

The senator, who represents Kaduna Central Senatorial District, was suspended by his Tudun Wada ward of the party on Monday.

The State chapter of the party, in a statement signed yesterday by the acting publicity secretary, Salisu Tanko Wusono, which listed the offences of the senator against the party and its leaders, said it was left with no option but to endorse the suspension in order to restore discipline to the party.

“All well meaning APC members and lovers of the party and indeed lovers of democracy must rise up and save our party’s democracy from these illegal and indiscipline acts,” it said.

The state chapter of the party stressed that by the suspension, the senator would not participate in all party activities until the suspension was lifted

Senator Sani, however, says he is unmoved by the suspension. His Special Assistant on Politics and Ideology, Malam Suleiman Ahmed, says nothing will deter his principal from criticising the “anti-people” policies of the State Government.

The party at the ward level had in a letter dated Dec. 7 signed by the party’s Ward Secretary, Malam Ahmed Abdullahi; the Public Relations Officer, Malam Auwal Anguwa; and an Ex-Officio member, Malam Aminu Alilan, suspended Sani for 11 months.

The letter said Sani was suspended for consistently criticising the policies of Gov. Nasir el-Rufai, an act which the APC ward executives described as “anti-party”.

Ahmed, however, said in an interview with newsmen in Kaduna yesterday that the suspension would only strengthen his principal’s resolve to criticise any policy of the el-Rufai administration that he considered “anti-people”.

“This letter,” he said, “is not relevant; it has no value to us; this letter will energise him the more; it will strengthen his resolve to criticise the government of the state if it goes wrong. The senator will continuously criticise any (government) policy that is anti-people up to the end of (his tenure in) the Senate and beyond. So if you feel that the senator should not criticise the government of the day because he is part of the party that brought the current government to power, then when he comes out to re-contest in 2019, do not vote for him.”

•Pieced together from different reports in Daily Trust. Photo shows Senator Shehu Sani.