Senator Shehu Sani (Kaduna Central) yesterday lost the primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He lost the party’s ticket to the Special Adviser to Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai on Political Affairs, Malam Uba Sani.

There has been no love lost between Sani and El-Rufai with the governor believed to be bent on denying the senator a return ticket to the upper chamber.

The governor’s aide, who has the blessings of his principal, scored 2,088 votes to the senator’s 15.

Chairman of the Primary Election Committee and a national official of the party, Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, declared Sani as winner.

Former Kaduna North Local Government Council Caretaker chairman, Usman Ibrahim, came second with 129 votes.

Shehu Sani’s predecessor in the Senate, Gen. Mohammed Sani Saleh, scored 55 votes while Shamsudeen Giwa polled six votes.

Iduoriyekemwen said a total of 2,383 voters were accredited while there were 35 invalid votes.

• Excerpted from The Nation report