Nasir El-Rufai, the former Governor of Kaduna State, has sharply criticized his successor, Uba Sani, accusing him of sycophantic behavior and of supporting President Bola Tinubu for personal benefit. El-Rufai’s attack followed remarks made by Governor Sani during a recent interview with TVC News, where Sani expressed surprise at the increasing criticism of Tinubu’s administration from some founding members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
El-Rufai took to his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday to respond to Sani’s comments, claiming that the governor’s loyalty to Tinubu was driven by personal financial interests, particularly over N150 billion in federal reimbursements and grants received by the Kaduna State government in the past 18 months. El-Rufai’s tweet alleged that these financial transfers were selectively given to Kaduna by President Tinubu, a situation that El-Rufai claims explains Sani’s unwavering support for the president.
El-Rufai’s statement read: “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.”
El-Rufai further criticized Sani for defending President Tinubu’s policies, particularly his stance on the conditional cash transfer program. He concluded by suggesting that the people of Kaduna State would ultimately decide Sani’s fate at the appropriate time.
In the TV interview, Sani had defended Tinubu against criticism from certain APC members, describing their disapproval as “unfortunate” and “undemocratic.” Sani expressed surprise that some prominent politicians, whom he did not name, had come out publicly against the president’s administration. He condemned calls for public unrest and urged critics to wait until the 2027 elections if they were serious about challenging the president’s leadership.
“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.
Sani also encouraged those criticizing the government to focus on the upcoming 2027 elections, where he believes they could challenge the administration through democratic means. “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 stated.
El-Rufai’s criticism has ignited a debate within the APC and political circles in Kaduna State, with many now questioning the motivations behind Sani’s support for the president, given the significant federal reimbursements the state has received.