BREAKING: Zailani: He Has Been Going About Saying That If Not For Him, Tinubu Will Lose Election In Kaduna — Sani

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Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has criticized former Speaker of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Yusuf Ibrahim Zailani, urging him to accept the outcome of recent political contests and stop portraying himself as indispensable to the electoral fortunes of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State.

Sani made the remarks during an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, June 3, 2026, while responding to comments attributed to Zailani following political developments within the APC in Kaduna State.

According to Sani, one of the fundamental qualities of a politician is the ability to accept both victory and defeat. He argued that political contests naturally produce winners and losers, and those who emerge unsuccessful should respect the outcome of the process.

“So if you cannot lose elections, if you cannot accept the fact that you contested and lost elections, you don’t appear to be a good politician,” Sani said.

The former senator noted that Zailani had participated in an election and was defeated, insisting that the outcome should be accepted without further controversy. “Zailani contested and lost,” he stated.

Sani also addressed claims allegedly made by the former Speaker that the APC could face electoral difficulties in Kaduna State without his involvement. He challenged that assertion by pointing to previous election results in the state. “Secondly, he has been going about saying that if not him, that Tinubu will lose the election in Kaduna State,” Sani said.

The former lawmaker argued that available electoral records do not support such claims, noting that APC experienced significant setbacks in Kaduna during the 2023 general elections despite the active participation of party leaders and stakeholders.

“Now, let me ask you, his local government was won by PDP. In the last 2023 elections that took place in Kaduna State, when Zailani and his cohorts were all actively involved in the APC, Tinubu lost to Kaduna, Atiku won,” he said.

Sani further highlighted the performance of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in legislative elections conducted during the same period. “In about 13 seats for House of Reps, PDP won 10. All the three senators were all from the PDP,” he stated.

According to him, those results demonstrate that the APC suffered electoral losses in the state even when individuals now claiming political relevance occupied influential positions within the party. “So even at his prime, the APC lost election. So you cannot win election if you are not grounded in the party,” Sani said.

Drawing from his own political experience, Sani said he understands both electoral success and defeat, adding that accepting unfavorable outcomes is part of democratic participation. “I have also lost election. If I can lose election and win election, it means that I have the history of the joy of victory and the pains of defeat,” he stated.

He concluded by insisting that the electoral process had been conducted and that those who participated had the opportunity to monitor the exercise through their representatives. “They should accept defeat. They lost. Central senatorial election took place at the ward level. People participated, and they had their agents, and they lost. And that was it,” Sani said.