Senator Shehu Sani, who represented Kaduna Central in the National Assembly from 2015-2019, says Kaduna was “an apartheid state for eight years.”
Taking to his verified X handle @ShehuSani, the rights activist had tweeted, “There were people who were silent when Buhari was fielding political offices with his Kinsmen, and have now found their voice to speak out when the equation doesn’t favour them. Lets not make reference to the nepotism that marginalised Southern Kaduna for eight years. Kaduna was an apartheid state for eight years.”
Though Sani did not mention the name of those who he accused of being silent during the Buhari administration’s alleged nepotism, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, the Special Adviser on Information and Strategy to President Tinubu, had retweeted Sani’s tweet with a note: “Senator Shehu Sani responds to El-Rufai’s cheap shot against President Tinubu.”
Sani and ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai are known to publicly criticise each other on account of their political differences.
Earlier, El-Rufai had uploaded on his verified X handle @elrufai an article written by Nigerian-born America-based university teacher Farooq Kperogi, titled, ‘Tinubu’s Buharization of the NNPC.’
El-Rufai’s tweet was titled, “December message: Two wrongs do not make a right. Sensible inclusion always trumps arrogant exclusion!!” with a link to the article.
In the article, Kperogi had written, in part: “Tinubu’s broader public image tells a different story. His administration is rapidly cementing a reputation for Yorubacentric provincialism. Like the late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, who governed Nigeria as if he were still a Katsina governor, Tinubu appears to be governing Nigeria as though he were still the governor of Lagos.
“Just like Yar’adua was elected a Nigerian president but operated like a Katsina governor in Abuja, Tinubu is also, so far, a Nigerian president only in name. His mindset is still that of the governor of Lagos.
“With a few notable (and in some cases unavoidable) exceptions, Tinubu’s government is largely the re-enactment of his time as the governor of Lagos. It is, for all practical purposes, an unabashed Lagos-centric Yorubacracy.”
The varsity teacher added a caveat: “To be fair, though, with the possible exception of Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, all civilian regimes since 1999 have been insular ethnocracies.”
The two controversial tweets have also attracted comments from social media followers of Sani and El-Rufai.
Responding to Sani, followers tweeted:
When you remain silent when an injustice benefits you – complicit silence
When you begin to find your voice when injustice no longer serves your interests- selective outrage
Complicit silence and selective outrage are the reasons why it has become very difficult to address…
— F.S. Azi (@FelixAzimayor) December 30, 2024
It doesn’t make it right for us to continue in that trajectory of regional loyalty and nepotism.
— Prof Imonokha Enakhena PhD (@IEnakhena) December 29, 2024
When people call APC evil party…
So it’s their official policy to misgovern, because there’s no difference between what Tinubu is doing from what Buhari did. He’s only being an expert at it.— Obi Nna (@oobynno) December 29, 2024
That short man doesn’t have the moral standing to criticize anyone for marginalization. He only finds his voice now that it’s a southerner at the helm of affairs.
— Ramseybee007😎 (@AbiolaAdebisi7) December 30, 2024
El-Rufai’s social media followers respond:
Any true Nigerian who desires peace and unity must unequivocally denounce the shameless tribalism and brazen Yorubinization of critical and sensitive positions under this administration. It is utterly disgraceful! I don’t care if the previous government indulged in similar…
— Olamide Oni (@lamidex2) December 28, 2024
“Bayo Ojulari is “being proposed as GMD after Mele Kyari’s term expires” early next year.”
Unfortunately, the writer failed to mention the region where Bayo Ojulari comes from. If the man is from Kogi State, Kogi is Northern Nigeria. No fuss.
Moreover, the appointment is just…— Abass A. (@Selverbee) December 28, 2024
DECEMBER MESSAGE: Dear Mallam El-Rufai,
-You remember when you went to @ChathamHouse to answer questions on his behalf? There was one question that no one else can answer for him- truth about his identity and bio. You sat and watched …
-What happened to your conscience then? Why… pic.twitter.com/smGUpoWDMx— A New Nigeria is POssible (@ObiYhwh) December 29, 2024
Bunch of hypocrates, Buhari did worse.
Buhari was so bad that even during his nepotism only the Hausa/Fulani’s benefited yet you all chat 19 northern states.
Nah turn by turn, I pray igbo Peopledo same during their tenure some day
— T I M M I T O M 🤴 (@timmosion) December 29, 2024
Well, let’s be honest the Northerner’s dominated most of the top positions in these industries for years . Even in southern states the top positions were given to Northerner’s. Something’s gotta change someday
— Ragnarok 🔱🇨🇦🇳🇬 (@SimoncoleB) December 29, 2024
I hope you didn’t forget your role during Buhari’s locust years and choosing a Muslim running mate as a governor in a secular state like kaduna. Now that you are out of power, you now want to start preaching inclusivity in government. It seems you’ve forgotten so soon.
— Ramseybee007😎 (@AbiolaAdebisi7) December 29, 2024
