Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has sharply criticized his successor, Governor Uba Sani, after the latter challenged him and other All Progressives Congress (APC) members to test their political strength against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 election.
Recently, El-Rufai and former Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi made headlines at a conference on strengthening democracy in Nigeria, where they openly criticized the APC’s leadership. El-Rufai accused the ruling party of straying from its founding principles and endorsing poor governance, asserting that he would still hold the APC accountable even if he were part of Tinubu’s administration. Meanwhile, Amaechi argued that Nigeria’s political elite would not willingly relinquish power to younger generations.
Their remarks drew sharp rebuttals from the presidency and Minister of State for Defence, Bello Matawalle. In response, Governor Uba Sani, during an interview with TVC News, expressed surprise at the critical comments from APC’s founding members.
“As a party member, I acknowledge that we are not perfect, but I find it unfortunate that some of our foundation members are making such remarks at this critical time,” Sani said. “Instead of attacking the government, any politician who believes they can defeat Tinubu in 2027 should work hard, mobilize, and present themselves in the next election.”
El-Rufai Fires Back
El-Rufai, however, did not take Sani’s comments lightly. In a social media post, he accused the Kaduna governor of excessive loyalty to Tinubu, suggesting that his stance was influenced by over N150 billion in federal financial support to Kaduna State.
Quoting Sherlock Holmes, El-Rufai implied that the governor’s constant praise of Tinubu was no coincidence. “Every day I see this governor embarrassingly and sycophantically rambling, I used to wonder why. However, confirming that federal reimbursements, interventions, and grants in excess of N150 billion have been selectively given to Kaduna in the last 18 months now explains everything,” he wrote.
He concluded by stating that the people of Kaduna would eventually make their judgment.
