Shehu Sani accuses Nigeria of double standards on violence threats after Amaechi's civil war warning
Former Kaduna Central senator Shehu Sani has accused Nigeria of applying double standards in handling threats of political, religious, and ethnic violence. In a post on X this Sunday, Sani argued that threats of civil war from individuals outside the South-East are treated as normal by government and the public, while similar statements from the South-East face harsher consequences.
The criticism follows ADC vice presidential candidate Rotimi Amaechi's warning on Mainland 98.3fm that the Federal High Court's judgment nullifying his party's leadership could trigger civil war. Last Thursday, the Abuja court invalidated the ADC National Working Committee led by former Senate President David Mark and the process that produced Atiku Abubakar as the party's 2027 presidential candidate. Amaechi stated: "It could cause a civil war if not properly managed."
Sani condemned what he called the "selective, disproportionate, discriminatory, and immoral" manner in which Nigeria handles matters of peace, security, justice, and national unity. His argument highlights a long-standing perception that security enforcement varies by ethnic and regional identity.
The ADC leadership crisis reflects deeper fractures in opposition politics ahead of the 2027 elections. Sani's critique raises questions about equal application of security laws regardless of a speaker's origin. Will the government respond to Amaechi's civil war warning with the same urgency historically applied to similar statements from South-East figures?