The controversy surrounding President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s alleged nepotism has taken a dramatic turn, with Senator Shehu Sani firing shots at former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai. The bone of contention is El-Rufai’s recent comments on social media, where he shared a post by Farooq Kperogi, a US-based Nigerian professor, accusing Tinubu of governing Nigeria with a Lagos mindset.
Kperogi alleged that Tinubu has dominated the economy with people from the South-West, just as former President Muhammadu Buhari loaded the security sector with northerners during his administration. El-Rufai shared the post, saying “Two wrongs don’t make a right” and emphasizing that sensible inclusion trumps senseless exclusion.
However, Shehu Sani was having none of it. In a swift reaction, he blasted El-Rufai, questioning his silence during Buhari’s regime. Sani pointed out that El-Rufai was quiet when Buhari was appointing his kinsmen to political offices, but has now found his voice to speak out against Tinubu.
Sani’s verbal jab didn’t stop there. He overtly referred to El-Rufai, saying, “Let’s not make reference to the nepotism that marginalized Southern Kaduna for eight years. Kaduna was an apartheid state for eight years.” Sani’s statement is a clear reference to El-Rufai’s tenure as Governor of Kaduna State, which was marked by controversy and allegations of nepotism.
In essence, Sani is saying that El-Rufai has no moral ground to speak out against Tinubu’s alleged nepotism, given his own track record. Sani emphasized that anyone can criticize Tinubu on issues of alleged lopsided appointments or nepotism, but certainly not El-Rufai.
This exchange has sparked a heated debate on social media, with many Nigerians weighing in on the issue. While some have praised Sani for calling out El-Rufai’s hypocrisy, others have criticized him for being overly partisan.
In a related development, Sani had earlier warned Tinubu against repeating the mistakes of his predecessor, former President Muhammadu Buhari, in the area of appointments. Sani advised Tinubu to base his appointments on competence, rather than nepotism ¹.
Middle-Belt Times 