Former governorship candidate Sani Shinkafi has dismissed claims that he forcefully removed internally displaced persons (IDPs) from his properties in 2019 because they did not support him politically.
In a video shared by SYMFONI TV, speaking during an interview, Shinkafi described the allegation as political mischief. He explained that during the 2019 elections, many displaced persons were living in his houses after fleeing violence in their communities. According to him, over 100,000 people had been displaced at the time, and some of them were sheltered in his properties where they struggled to survive and often lacked enough food.
Shinkafi said that before the election, he campaigned and advised the IDPs not to sell their votes but to vote according to their conscience. However, on election day, he alleged that some of them accepted 200 naira in exchange for their votes, claiming that members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) were buying votes.
He expressed disappointment that people who were suffering and had been given shelter would still sell their votes for a small amount of money. He said he then told those involved that if they preferred to collect money for their votes, they should continue doing so but leave his property.
Shinkafi insisted that his actions were based on his frustration over vote-selling and not because of political hatred. He maintained that the story had been twisted to make it appear as though he unfairly targeted displaced persons for supporting a different party.
In his words, "They were selling their votes for ₦200, so I told them that since you've been selling your votes for ₦200, go and continue selling it, and vacate my property.
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