The perceived fight between the immediate past governor of Kaduna State and the current governor, Uba Sani, is taking a new dimension, with both engaging in verbal attacks.
Governor Sani in an interview on a national television on Monday strongly criticised what he termed as coalition of politicians recently assembled to criticise the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
In the interview, the governor accused them of opposing the government solely for the sake of power rather than offering better solutions to Nigeria’s challenges.
The governor stated that none of the coalition members can rival Tinubu’s democratic credentials, emphasising that the president fought for and remains committed to democracy.
It would be recalled that last week, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, former Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi, former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi were among other top politicians gathered at a conference in Abuja, where they criticised President Tinubu’s administration and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Governor Sani described the allegations made by the coalition as baseless, stressing that “Most of these politicians making such comments might just be talking to themselves,” he said. “We used to be in the same party at some point, and I must say I’m surprised and shocked by their actions.”
He added that the coalition lacked factual evidence for their claims.
“When they come out with allegations without facts, it’s just an attempt to confuse Nigerians,” the governor said.
“Most of these politicians held positions in government less than two years ago. What did they do while they were in power?”
He questioned their credibility, suggesting that their fight was solely about power.
“Nigerians are very clever. They know these politicians are not fighting Tinubu because they have something better to offer. They had opportunities in the past, but what did they do?”
Governor Sani added that some politicians recently praised President Tinubu but changed their stance after leaving government.
“Most of them were sitting at the same table with us, fighting for Tinubu because we believed he was the best man to move this country forward,” he said. “What are their democratic credentials, if I may ask? What have they done to advance democracy in Nigeria?” he queried.
In his reaction on his verified X handle, El-Rufai took a swipe at the governor, saying, “The people of Kaduna State will judge.”
El-Rufai, in his post on his X yesterday titled “Kaduna Update,” said the governor is “embarrassingly and sycophantically rambling” every day.
“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. – #ConcernedKadunaCitizen”, wrote.
In another post, El-Rufai quoted former British Prime Minister Tony Blair as saying sometime ago: “And in a developing nation, where people struggle to put food on the table, go to school, get rudimentary healthcare, eke out an existence not a career, (social services) delivery can be the difference between life and death; or at least the difference between a life with hope and one without it.
“They (citizens) want the problems impacting their lives solved or at least mitigated. They want a higher standard of living, a better quality of life, improved healthcare and education and security.”
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