2027: Shehu Sani Blasts Opposition Over ‘Begging’ US, EU to Attack Tinubu
Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has criticised opposition politicians for seeking the intervention and validation of the United States and European Union over legal controversies surrounding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general election.
Sani said opposition parties should stop relying on foreign countries to advance their political interests and instead present Nigerians with credible alternatives to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Wednesday, the former lawmaker accused opposition politicians of attempting to revive old controversies surrounding Tinubu rather than developing practical solutions to Nigeria’s economic, security and social challenges.
“The opposition should stop seeking validation from the United States and the European Union with the specific legal issues that surround the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” Sani said.
He particularly criticised former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his political allies over the reported engagement of a United States-based consultancy firm to investigate past controversies involving Tinubu.
Sani argued that the strategy would not help the opposition win the 2027 election, urging them to convince Nigerians through their policies and programmes.
According to him, the opposition had yet to present “an articulate economic document,” “an articulate political document” or a comprehensive social programme capable of persuading Nigerians that it could govern differently.
He also dismissed the controversies surrounding Tinubu’s past legal issues in the United States, saying the President had not been convicted or sentenced over the allegations.
“From the knowledge of what we have read, there was never a time the President was convicted or sentenced of what he was alleged to have done in the United States,” Sani said.
He maintained that the opposition should focus on issues directly affecting Nigerians rather than attempting to secure foreign validation.
Sani also accused political actors of damaging Nigeria’s international reputation through negative narratives deployed for electoral purposes.
He said Nigerians had suffered discrimination and stigmatisation in some countries and warned politicians against worsening the situation by portraying Nigeria negatively.
On insecurity in Kaduna State, Sani rejected claims that the state was now completely peaceful but acknowledged improvements under Governor Uba Sani.
“It is an act of self-deception for anyone to say that Kaduna is 100% peaceful today,” he said, noting that kidnappings and bandit attacks still occurred in parts of the state.
However, he said the security situation had improved significantly compared with the period before 2023, citing increased safety along the Kaduna-Birnin Gwari route and the Kaduna-Abuja highway.
Sani also faulted attempts to turn the insecurity debate into an ethnic or religious issue, recalling that several critical security positions were occupied by northerners during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration without completely eliminating terrorism and banditry.
He urged opposition politicians to challenge the government based on policies and performance rather than ethnic or religious sentiments.
Sani further criticised promises to restore fuel subsidy, describing such pledges as economically unrealistic without addressing Nigeria’s refining capacity.
He said a more credible alternative would be to rehabilitate Nigeria’s refineries and strengthen domestic production.
“We must play politics with respect, with dignity, with vision, and with the understanding that Nigeria is a multi-ethnic and multi-religious state,” he said.
The former senator urged politicians and Nigerians to be cautious with their utterances, warning that political rhetoric capable of deepening ethnic and religious divisions could threaten national unity and further damage the country’s image abroad.
