African Woman Fires Back at Senator Shehu Sani's Sahel Counsel

A prominent Nigerian legislator, Senator Shehu Sani, recently faced a sharp rebuke from an African woman following a tweet he posted. The former Senator utilized the social media platform X to disseminate images of the heads of state from the three nations comprising the AES, known as the Alliance des États du Sahel.

The Alliance of Sahel States (AES) functions as a mutual defense agreement and political alliance established by Mali, Niger, and Burkina Faso. Senator Sani's post specifically featured General Abdourahamane Tchiani, who leads Niger's military administration; Assimi Goïta, Mali's transitional President and military head; and Ibrahim Traoré, the interim leader of Burkina Faso.

Accompanying these images, Senator Sani included a caption outlining his perspective on the region's path forward. He stated, "The way forward is for them to organise elections,transit to civil rule and work closely with Ecowas if they don’t want to re-join.Otherwise,they will have to continue to watch their backs against their military colleagues.Depending on Russia for protection is not sustainable."

In response to Sani's counsel, a woman, identified as originating from one of the AES member states, issued a scathing reply. Her tweet read: "The day we need an advice from a country run by a drug kingpin, incapable of getting rid of Boko Haram for decades, who calls on the Americans to bomb its own people and on France to destabilize its neighbors, we'll let you know."

This sharp retort from the woman rapidly gained traction online, achieving viral status. Subsequently, numerous Nigerian social media users flocked to her post, expressing support for her stance and disassociating themselves from Senator Sani's opinions.