Former Kaduna Central District senator, Shehu Sani, has stated that detained former Governor Nasir El-Rufai is paying the price for his alleged misdeeds and irresponsibility while in office. Mr Sani made these remarks during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Friday. He was reacting to Mr El-Rufai’s recent comment that he had been deserted by allies.
Mr El-Rufai, who is being detained by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over corruption allegations, had complained about the silence of several close associates, colleagues, and family members over his travails. In a statement on Facebook, he expressed his feelings of isolation. Shehu Sani responded by sharing his personal experience of being in detention.
Mr Sani recalled that being out of power naturally comes with losing allies and viewing reality through a different lens. “I have been in the gulag for a very long time, but it is natural. When you are out of circulation, you are bound to lose friends, and you are bound to see things differently from the way you used to,” he said. He emphasized that Mr El-Rufai is paying the price of his misgovernance and irresponsibility.
Mr Sani further alleged that Mr El-Rufai demonstrated a disregard for the rule of law while in office by routinely disobeying court orders. He claimed that Mr El-Rufai arrested many people and sent them to jail, and now he has found himself in a similar situation. According to Mr Sani, Kaduna witnessed severe misgovernance and the arbitrary use of state power to target political opponents during Mr El-Rufai’s tenure.
Mr Sani cited several cases to buttress his claims, including the arrest of journalist Luka Binyat over a published report. He also referenced the case of 89 community leaders from Kachia Local Government Area who were detained for over nine months in Kaduna Prisons after protesting the killing of their leader. Additionally, he mentioned the arrest and imprisonment of Islamic clerics, a lecturer, and a newspaper reporter for criticizing the state government.
Turning to the security situation in Southern Kaduna, Mr Sani dismissed those defending Mr El-Rufai, claiming that most commentators lacked firsthand knowledge of the region. He accused the Mr El-Rufai administration of failing to support local security agencies and taking no serious measures to end the violence. Mr Sani stated that terrorists and bandits have been killing people in Southern Kaduna for over a decade without any intervention from the state government.
The political feud between Mr Sani and former governor El-Rufai is well documented. Both politicians were in the All Progressives Congress (APC) when they took office in 2015, but their relationship quickly deteriorated over political control, patronage, and governance styles. Mr Sani is now running again for the Kaduna Central senatorial seat under the APC.
Key points
- Former Senator Shehu Sani claims Nasir El-Rufai is facing consequences for alleged misdeeds and irresponsibility during his tenure.
- El-Rufai is being detained by the ICPC over corruption allegations.
- Sani and El-Rufai have a well-documented political feud.
