By Danlami Nmodu
Former Governor of Zamfara state and serving Senator Ahmad Sani was invited and quizzed by the Kaduna Command of Nigeria Police Force on Saturday after appearing on an FRCN Kaduna ,Hausa language programme. Reporters said the senator was quizzed for about four hours.Even though he was with them for so long, the police insisted the senator was not arrested.They said Sani was only invited for questioning.
Newsdiaryonline.com got hold of Senator Sani’s statement to the police which we serve our readers below:
“My name is Senator Ahmad Rufai Sani ,former Governor of Zanfara state. Nigerian and now Distinguished Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.Federal Radio Corporation (FRCN)Kaduna invited me for a phone- in programmed which took place today 9th of March 2013 at 1000am and ended at 12:00PM.During the phone -in programme ,I was asked if there is any move not to register our new party APC, what can we do? And my response was that if we met all legal requirements and INEC refused to register us, we shall embark on a peaceful protest to INEC until we are registered .Then the moderator asked me ,what I mean by peaceful protest? Then I responded by saying just like it happened in Egypt.We can go to Eagle Square together with General Mohammad Buhari , Asiuaju (sic) Bola Tinubu , Sardaunan Kano Alh Ibrahim Shekaau (sic)and others to mobilize people without using any weapon for a peaceful protest until our party is registered.
1.The police asked me assuming our peaceful protest is not yielding desired result, what do we do next? And my answer to this question is that ,we are practicing democracy.If the president of Egypt can yield to the pressure of his people in a peacefull protest, I am sure that with the integrity of Prof.Jega that I know personally,he will yield to the people’s pressure and make sure so long as we met all the legal requirements , we are registered.
2.The police further asked that ,knowing the security situation in Kaduna and that been a PDP state,don’t I think that some people may read meaning to it or may try to make mischief? My answer to this question is that, we are talking of registration of a political party and the process has not even been completed and there is no attempt by INEC because we have not even completed and there is no attempt by INEC because have nt(sic) even applied for registration .We only notified them of our desire to form a new party APC.In addition to this,the peaceful protest mentioned is only when INEC refused to register APC after meeting all the legal requirement,I will not see basis for any mischief.
“However ,I am also surprise(sic) to be invited by the police because the programme was carried live and as a former Governor and Chief Security Officer of Zamfara state at that time, a Distinguish Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,I will never call for violence,never participate in violence and never support violence in Nigeria my dear country.For eight (8)years I served in Zamfara state as a Governor, even with the implementation of Sharia, there was never violence between Muslims and Christians because of my firm belief in peaceful coexistence.So whoever called the CP from Abuja is the one trying to be mischievous and cause crisis in Nigeria.”
