Kaduna, Nigeria – February 6, 2025 — Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has launched a blistering attack on his successor, Governor Uba Sani, accusing him of sycophancy and blind loyalty to President Bola Tinubu in exchange for federal financial support.

El-Rufai’s remarks, made via his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, were in response to Sani’s comments during a TVC News interview, where he defended Tinubu’s administration against criticism from some founding members of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The former governor alleged that Sani’s unrelenting support for the president was influenced by over N150 billion in federal reimbursements selectively given to Kaduna State under Tinubu’s government in the past 18 months.

“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 wrote.

He added, “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.”

Sani’s Defense of Tinubu’s Administration

During the TV interview, Governor Sani criticized certain APC members for openly condemning Tinubu’s policies, calling their actions “unfortunate” and “undemocratic.”

“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 stated.

The governor urged Tinubu’s critics to wait until the 2027 general elections if they believed they had enough public support to challenge the president at the polls.

“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 added.

Rising Political Tensions in Kaduna

El-Rufai’s sharp rebuke of Sani highlights the growing rift between the two former allies. The former governor, a key figure in the APC, has become increasingly vocal against the Tinubu administration in recent months, fueling speculation about his political ambitions ahead of the next elections.

The allegations of selective financial reimbursements to Kaduna also raise questions about federal allocations under Tinubu’s presidency, particularly as Nigeria grapples with economic challenges.

As political tensions escalate within the APC, the fallout between El-Rufai and Sani could have far-reaching implications for both Kaduna politics and the ruling party’s internal dynamics in the lead-up to 2027.