SENATOR SANI: BETWEEN THE STIR AND THE STATEMENT

Published By Ayshatu S Rabo Last updated May 12, 2025

SENATOR SANI: BETWEEN THE STIR AND THE STATEMENT

By Bala Ibrahim

Yesterday, I had cause to write a damning article on Senator Sani Musa, the Senator representing the Niger East Senatorial district of Niger State, in the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The article was written pursuant to a video clip that widely circulated on the social media. I captioned the article, Senator Sani: a pretentious puritan with a polluted pedagogy. Because the issue has to do with virtue, and expected decency, it generated a stir almost beyond the Newton’s law of motion.

Yes, Sir Isaac Newton, the English mathematician, physicist, astronomer, alchemist, theologian, and author, in his third law of motion, also known as the law of action and reaction, stated that, for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In other words, if one object exerts a force on another, the second object simultaneously exerts an equal but opposite force on the other object. By his action, Senator Sani had exerted a force on the public, based on his statements during plenary at the Senate. That statement, which activated by a trigger, and the trigger was a message transmitted to him by his colleague, Senator Kawu Sumaila.

I had cause to talk to Senator Sani Musa last night, who told me that yesterday was his birthday- the day that coincides with the anniversary of the day on which he was born. Normally, and annually, its a day he treats with celebration and the receipt of gifts. But alas, he was made to treat yesterday with grief and angst. Sani said, instead of gifts, he was visited by all manner of insults, from people that ordinarily would not behave to him that way. According to him, the entire episode was positioned incorrectly, including my own perception of him. The video clip was mischievious edited and misplaced to malign him. He was referring to the person that sent him the message, and the English used by the author of the message, which ran contrary to the standard of the Senate. Not the presumed Engligh of the messenger, who turns out to be Senator Kawu. And he asked me to confirm with his colleagues, including Senator Sumaila.

I said simple, in journalism-my own calling and career, there is a provision for the right of correction, which is sometimes referred to as the right of reply. It is the right given to one, to defend oneself against public criticism in the same venue where it was published. Because you have the right to be treated right, you can write a reply, in the form of a rebuttal, wherein you should put your own perspective. He said he had already done so, and that we have a mutual friend, who would forward it to me. Indeed he did, and I hereby publish it unedited:

DISCLAIMER & REFUTAL

The story currently being circulated about my reaction to the 2023 Appropriations Bill is completely false and taken out of context.

In 2023, I responded to a poorly written article by an unknown author that falsely accused the Senate of mishandling the budget. It was not written by my friend and brother, Sen. Kawu Sumaila.

He merely forwarded it in good faith, thinking it was credible. I reacted accordingly—nothing more.

Now, mischief-makers are resurfacing it to stir division, especially after my friend and brother Sen. Kawu Sumaila joined the APC. For the record myself and Senator Kawu Sumaila have never had in altercation, it’s all FALSE.

Please ignore the propaganda. It’s politically driven and baseless.

Let’s stay focused on nation-building.

— Mohammed Sani Musa, CON.

It is pertinent to know that, there is ample beauty in democracy, the very democracy we are practicing in Nigeria, where Sani Musa and Kawu Sumaila are amongst the men and women drawing the laws to drive the apparatus. To me, the biggest beauty lies in the freedom of expression, which is a fundamental human right, encompassing the ability to hold opinions, seek, receive, react and impart information and ideas through various forms of communication. It’s enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and the Nigerian Constitution. This right is crucial for democracy, the rule of law, and holding people in power accountable. When people are free to exchange ideas, have the ability to express themselves without fear, and the opportunity to listen to and learn from others, leaders would constantly be put under check, and where they err, they get fired on air, with immediate effect. This is the ambition of open communication in a democracy.

I therefore wish Senator Sani a belated happy birthday, with the hope that, this would go a long way in settling the stir, that was created by the incorrectly placed statement of his, against Senator Sumaila.

SENATOR SANI: BETWEEN THE STIR AND THE STATEMENT