El-Rufai accuses Kaduna gov of backing Tinubu for personal gains

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has launched a scathing attack on his successor, Uba Sani, accusing him of fawning and indulging with President Bola Tinubu for personal gain.

El-Rufai’s criticism followed Sani’s remarks during a TVC News interview on Monday, where the governor expressed surprise at the growing criticism of Tinubu’s administration from some founding members of the All Progressives Congress.

Reacting via his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, El-Rufai alleged that Sani’s unwavering support for Tinubu was linked to over N150bn in federal reimbursements received by Kaduna State in the past 18 months.

“Every day I see this governor embarrassingly and sycophantically rambling, I used to wonder why? However, confirming that Federal Government ‘reimbursements, interventions, and grants’ in excess of N150bn have been given selectively to Kaduna by Tinubu in the last 18 months now explains everything.

“By all means, defend Asiwaju for the conditional cash transfer. Asiwaju has earned it, coming from you. The people of Kaduna State will judge at the right time and place. Have a nice day,” El-Rufai wrote.

Sani, in the TV interview, had criticised some APC members for their public disapproval of Tinubu’s policies, describing their actions as “unfortunate” and “undemocratic.”

“I was really surprised when I heard the coalition of politicians coming together at this critical time to make most of those comments they made. Some of them were even calling for people to come out and take laws into their hands, oppose the government in a way that I feel is undemocratic,” Sani said.

Challenging Tinubu’s critics, Sani urged them to wait for the 2027 elections if they believed they were popular enough to unseat the president.

“Of course, I also want to make it clear here that we’re in a democratic dispensation, and we have just about two and a half years to the next election. Any politician who feels he is popular or can defeat Bola Ahmed Tinubu or the APC should work hard and present themselves in the next election,” he added.