Political Parties Back Governor Sani Over Debt Disclosure

Registered political parties under the aegis of Inter-Party Advisory Council of Nigeria (IPAC) in Kaduna State have backed Governor Uba Sani in the debt profile issue of the state and his dispute with his predecessor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai.

The chairman, IPAC Kaduna, Hon. Ahmed Tijjani Mustapha, in a press conference on Monday jointly signed by him and the secretary, Hon. Adamu Idris Abubakar, disclosed that the debt profile had denied Kaduna State of development.

“The selfish and fraudulent arrangement didn’t only deny our state the means of development and growth but has made the state financially embarrassed, which includes making our State IGR (internally generated revenue)  as collateral to some indigenous banks”.

Governor Sani had, at a town hall meeting in Kaduna, said his administration inherited a huge debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion, and N115 billion contractual liabilities from the previous administration.

The governor further added that with the rise in the exchange rate, Kaduna State is now paying back almost triple of what was borrowed by the previous administration.

IPAC has declared total support for the governor for his unique transparent leadership.

“Because of the above happenings and as stakeholders in democratic norms, good leadership, good governance and accountability in Nigeria and Kaduna State, the IPAC in Kaduna is in support of His Excellency’s desires of getting our dear state out of this mess despite the humongous debt burden on the state government.

“We are highly amazed and proud of Sani’s vision and wisdom with all this huge debt burden that was eating deep into the State’s monthly Federal Allocation of funds and with the state finding it difficult to pay monthly salaries but he remains resolute and focused in trying to build a better renewed Kaduna State  and without also borrowing a single kobo in the last nine months of his administration.”

The group therefore called on the governor to, as a matter of urgency, to constitute a commission of enquiry into the huge debt burden.

Sack El-Rufai’s Loyalists Now, AYCF Tells Governor

Meanwhile, northern youth organisations under the umbrella of Arewa Youths Consultative Forum (AYCF), have called on Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, to sack all loyalists of former governor Nasir El-Rufai in his government, alleging that many of them are informants planted to sabotage the administration.

In an interview with LEADERSHIP in Kaduna over the debt crisis, the president of AYCF, Alhaji Yerima Shettima, commended Governor Uba Sani for taking a bold step to build and unite Kaduna state and said sacking the former governor’s loyalists will pave the way for the present administration to inject fresh brains with the high zeal to work.

Shettima noted that the forum had started collecting signatures of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to submit a petition to authorities against former Governor El-Rufai to give an account of his administration.

“Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s son said Governor Uba Sani is surrounded with incompetent aides and many of Governor Uba Sani’s appointees were inherited from the previous government of El-Rufai. We are calling on Governor Uba Sani to sack El-Rufai’s loyalists in his government. A majority of El-Rufai loyalists are informants planted in Governor Uba Sani’s government by the former governor. If Go