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El-Rufai/Uba Sani – Ex friends turn foes
From Femi Mustapha, Kaduna
The ongoing probe into the administration of the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai has caught the attention of the public both within and outside the shores of Nigeria.
Although the matter, currently undergoing legislative and judicial interpretation, requires little public conclusions in regard to complicity or lack of it, the political connotations are weighty all the same.
This is so because the probe was instituted by no other person than his political associate and ‘godson’ the current governor, Senator Uba Sani.
It is immaterial whether Uba Sani was prompted by personal conviction, or was prodded by forces outside the state to beam search light on his political benefactor, the legislative enquiry against El-Rufai will certainly redefine the political landscape of Kaduna state ahead the 2027 general elections.
The larger-than-life persona which El-Rufai has carved for himself since he became a minister of the Federal Republic of Nigeria over two decades ago has continued to attract him more to Nigerians who see him as one of the few Nigerians who speak the truth to power.
Findings by the Citizenship Daily revealed that the Kaduna state Governor, Senator Uba Sani, and Nasir El-Rufai have been political allies for decades in several public forums, and the present governor had said at one point that El-rufai was his boss, not his friend. He has also praised him for his leadership role, describing him as a worthy mentor and boss.
The checks also showed that the relationship between the duo dates back over two decades. As a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Uba Sani had served as one of El-Rufai’s Special Assistants.
It was also said that when former President Olusegun Obasanjo was looking for someone to replace Femi Fani Kayode, El-Rufai recommended Uba Sani and eventually Obasanjo appointed Uba Sani as his Special Assistant on Publicity.
Ever since, Gov Uba Sani has remained a committed loyalist to his mentor (Elrufai). He was part of El-Rufai’s political dynasty and played a very important role for his boss (El-Rufai) to become the governor in 2015 and again in 2019. During this year, it was reported that Gov Uba Sani helped stabilize El-Rufai’s government, and in turn, he appointed him (Uba Sani) as his Special Adviser on Political Affairs.
Again, when El-Rufai wanted to secure a $350m World Bank loan during his first tenure as governor and did not get the necessary support from Senator Shehu Sani, who was then representing the central senatorial district at the red chamber, he waited for 2019 to pay back Senator Shehu Sani. During the countdown to that election, El-Rufai did not hide his opposition to the return of Shehu Sani but he worked against his return by picking Senator Uba Sani to replace him at the red chamber.
El-Rufai stood his ground to ensure that Uba Sani got the party’s ticket and subsequently won the central senatorial district during the general election. As a member of the 9th Senate, it was said that El-Rufai also influenced the appointment of Gov Uba Sani as Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking and Finance, a position that gave him the advantage to help in securing the $350m world bank loan for Kaduna state. It was on record that Gov Uba Sani played a significant role in securing the loan the said loan for Elrufai.
However, many political observers were quick to voice out a warning of a looming cold war between the State Governor Senator Uba Sani and his predecessor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, generally regarded as the latter’s political “godfather” when the ad-hoc committee set up by the Kaduna House of Assembly recommended the probe of Nasir el-Rufai, whom they accused of alleged diversion of public funds to the tune of N423 billion, and sundry allegations of money laundering.
Henry Zacharia, the Chairman of the committee, who presented the report on June 5, 2024 during plenary alleged that most of the loans obtained by the el-Rufai administration were used for other purposes.
In April, the Kaduna Assembly inaugurated a 13-member committee to examine the loans, grants, and project implementation in the state during the period el-Rufai was governor. Zacharia said most of the loans obtained and projects implemented did not follow “due process.”
The lawmakers also called for the prosecution of some of the commissioners and officials who worked under el-Rufai.
Speaking after the submission of the report, Yusuf Liman, speaker of the Kaduna Assembly, said the alleged diversion of public funds and money laundering under El-Rufai should be referred to law the enforcement agencies.
“That the Governor of Kaduna State between 29th May 2015 to 29th May 2023, as the chief executive officer of the state, breached his oath of office contained in the 7th schedule to the Constitution of Nigeria as amended and failed to exercise due diligence in the administration of the state,” Liman said.
“Plunging the state into unwanted, unjustified, and fraudulent domestic and foreign debt over and above the total loans obtained by Kaduna State from 1965 to 1999, from 1965 to December 31st, 2014, and the majority were obtained without due process.
“Reckless award of contracts without due process leading to several abandoned projects, despite payments with no record of utilization, and denying the state of the needed resources for development.”
“Diversion of funds and money laundering contrary to extant laws and regulations, and accordingly should be referred to the law enforcement agencies for immediate investigation and prosecution.”
Earlier on March 30, Uba Sani, governor of Kaduna, said his administration inherited a debt of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities from el-Rufai’s administration.
The Kaduna governor said the huge debt burden is eating deep into the state’s share of the monthly federation allocation.
Meanwhile, some pundits in the state have cautioned the governor to tread softly on the House of Assembly’s discovery of the alleged monumental fraud citing his closeness with El-Rufai, as well as being a member of El-Rufai’s kitchen cabinet, and not to succumb to external forces that might plunge him and the party (APC) into crisis. Some elements insisted that El-Rufai and his cohorts must face the music to serve as a deterrent to those who might follow the footsteps of El-Rufai.
But it seems the governor is currently at a crossroads. Is he going to succumb or will he find a way of recovering the billions which is what matters to the state?
It was further gathered that these elements have been mounting pressure on the government to involve the anti-graft bodies to arrest El-Rufai and his allies for subsequent prosecution.
They argued that the governor has a moral duty to recover the said funds allegedly siphoned under El-Rufai’s watch.
One of such citizens is no other person than Senator Shehu Sani. He said in a statement on his X handle that the next step was to recover “our stolen money from those leeches and vultures.”
He said ‘The Kaduna Assembly has done a good job. I wish to congratulate them. The next step is to ensure the recovery of our stolen money from those leeches and vultures. Kaduna was simply plundered by fraudulent technocrats, thieving consultants, and contractors domiciled in Kashim Ibrahim House.
He continued,” For anyone who cared to go through that published report, I don’t know what “serving with integrity means”, saying, Kaduna was a victim of two types of banditry, the one in our Forest and the one in the Government House.”
An Active Citizen Mr. Yusuf Ishiaku Goje from the Open Government Partnership while speaking to Citizenship Daily opined that, while the probe by the lawmakers has to do with allegations that the finances of the State have been plundered, of which only the courts have the final say, one cannot rule out the political motives behind it.
Yusuf said he is not a politician but one cannot divorce the current happening in the state to the politics of 2027 and as well as 2031, when the power is expected to come back to the North.
According to him the reaction from supporters of the principal actors in the cold war says as much.
“We also hear that there are invisible hands from the Presidency who want to ensure that likely political actors who will be stumbling blocks in 2027 are politically neutralized.
“Many will recall how the immediate past Governor of the State was publicly humiliated after the elections during the Ministerial screening and his recent body language that suggests he is championing a political realignment across the country aimed at scuttling the second term ambition of the incumbent President.
“The report of the State House of Assembly are weighty and disturbing. There are a lot of financial mismanagement and accountability issues raised in the probe that deserve further investigation and whoever is found wanting should be prosecuted.”
However, the members of the previous administration have come out to debunk the allegations and have promised to respond to each of them. Not to forget the former Governor has gone to court to enforce his human rights to a fair hearing, which he said was not accorded to him during the probe.
Nonetheless, it is curious to keen observers that the current Governor who supported, defended, and even publicly said he should be held responsible if the loans are not properly utilized by the former Governor is today investigating the administration of his long-time ally. This is indeed a classic illustration of the maxim in politics, that no permanent friends, only permanent interest.
As a resident of the state and civil society actor, said “I am unconcerned about the politics behind the scenes, as it is not for the benefit of the common man. What is of interest to many of us is for every kobo to be accounted for and the current administration to pay attention to addressing our developmental challenges.”
Responding to Citizenship Daily on what Kaduna residents stand to gain from the looming cold political war, Yusuf Goje said the Kaduna residents will be the biggest victims if the matter is not nipped in the bud and allowed to implode.
He said that History has shown that such political battles by former allies end up distracting governance with the masses at the receiving end.
It is usually a needless mixture of investment of time, public resources, and institutions in an unfruitful battle of ego and attrition, he said.
But in a sharp reaction, former member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Salihu Mohd. Lukman blamed the debt outburst of Kaduna state governor, Uba Sani on the growing cold war between him and his predecessor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
Lukman who was the immediate past National Vice Chairman (North West) of APC said the outburst is indicative of a strong disagreement and breakdown of relationship between Sani and El-Rufai.
He advised that the governor should not reduce the situation to the politics of a blame game. The former Director General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) appealed to Sani to take every necessary step to undertake an inventory of the debt of the state and how it was utilized.
“What is needed now is to assess whether there are cases of diversion, which if established should be recovered.”
Lukman noted that the issue of the huge debt burden of Kaduna State was a public secret, adding that it was a matter that was very well known to the incumbent governor.
Admitting that there could be new insight that the governor may have encountered after taking over, he reasoned that he (Sani) came well prepared and ready to deal with the challenges and move Kaduna State forward from where El-Rufai left it.
“Unfortunately, as it is, the report seems to be sensationalized, suggesting the reality of strong disagreement and breakdown of the relationship between Malam Nasir El-Rufai and Mallam Uba Sani, which could as well be the case.
“This notwithstanding, I can’t claim ignorance about some of the dynamics playing out in Kaduna State. I am aware of the growing animosity between Malam Nasir and Malam Uba, or at least I hear some of it from sources close to both of them.”
Proffering a solution, the APC leader said, “In taking responsibility, we must appeal to Malam Uba Sani to take every necessary step to undertake an inventory of the debt of the state and how it was utilized. Part of what is needed now very urgently is to assess whether there are cases of diversion, which if established should be recovered.
However, Some commissioners who served in the administration of Governor Nasir El-Rufai from 2015 to 2023 in Kaduna State have said the state assembly’s report on the former governor is riddled with falsehood and predetermined conclusions.
They are former Commissioners for Environment, Jafaru Ibrahim; Humanitarian Services and Social Development, Hafsat Mohammed Baba; Planning and Budget Commission, Umar Yusuf Aboki; and Finance, Bashir Saidu.
The former commissioner for Environment, Jafaru Ibrahim disclosed the position of his colleagues when he was hosted on the Civil Space platform recently.
According to him, all loans secured by the administration were utilized judiciously in the interest of the people of the state.
Jafaru expressed dismay over the adoption of the report of the ad-hoc committee, which he said was not made available to top officials of the El-Rufai administration that were indicted, despite their request for the certified true copy of the report, saying that was worrisome and unfortunate.
Jafaru also described the allegation of money laundering in the report as baseless, saying, “This baseless allegation is the peak of the defamatory agenda to which the ad-hoc committee and the Kaduna State House of Assembly willingly lent themselves as spineless accomplices.”
“The ad hoc committee concocted several claims, intended to grab headlines, which we challenge below: Contrary to the allegations, we affirm that there is no basis for the wild claims about money laundering.
“The government of Malam Nasir El-Rufai inherited external debts of $234 million in 2015. It followed due process in securing its loans and the testimony of Aminu Shagali, who was the Speaker between June 2015 and early 2020, confirms this.”
“To enhance the delivery of its progressive governance agenda for Kaduna State, the El-Rufai administration approached the World Bank for credit. The board of the World Bank approved the credit in June 2017 as a Performance for Result (P4R) credit of $350 million.
“The conditions for the grant of this credit were entirely performance-driven. Kaduna State is so far the only subnational in Nigeria that has received this kind of credit.
“Like other loans raised by the El-Rufai administration, the $350 million World Bank Performance-for-Result (P4R) loan was properly utilized in furtherance of the development of Kaduna State.”
While the state Government has not reacted to Jafaru’s position, Civil Society Organizations CSOS quickly came out to commend the Kaduna State House of Assembly for the work done in unraveling the ‘financial atrocities’ committed against the state.
One of such CSO’s, under the auspices of Kaduna Citizen’s Watch for Good Governance commended the Kaduna State House of Assembly for the work done in unraveling the allegations of financial atrocities committed against the state.
Barrister Henry Danjuma Magaji while speaking on behalf of the CSOs said the report by the House of Assembly should be applauded because it revealed a significant sum of unaccounted funds and irregularities in financial transactions.
“The report also highlighted mismanagement of funds, diversion of loans, overpayment of contractors, and lack of transparency in the usage of state funds.
“The Group commended Governor Uba Sani for holding on to the ideals of the democracy he worked for by not interfering in the activities of the Kaduna State House.
“They therefore called on Gov. Uba Sani to officially forward the findings of the committee report to relevant anti-corruption agencies to enable them to swing into action and recover all resources at their disposal.”
The Group also called on Security Agencies to immediately arrest and prosecute former governor Nasir El-Rufai and those he has incited to bring down the government of Senator Uba Sani.
“While commending Gov. Sani for running an open government where regular consultations are carried out with various stakeholders, especially during town hall meetings, they assured him of their maximum support.”
Similarly, as the event unfolded, the quiet ‘Crocodile City’ suddenly woke up as protesters stormed the Sir Kahsim House, asking Governor Uba Sani to invite the officials of EFCC and other relevant security agencies to prosecute his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai, over an alleged fraud of N423 billion.
The protesters, in large numbers, conducted the peaceful protest under the auspices of a group, ‘Kaduna Citizens Watch for Good Governance (KCWGG)’.
They condemned the alleged financial mismanagement, abuse of power, and a growing debt burden incurred for eight years by the last administration.
However, a supporter of Malam Nasir El-Rufai, Ibrahim Abubakar, a legal practitioner based in Abuja described the protesters as sponsored jobless people who should leave Malam Nasir El-Rufai and Gov Uba Sani alone and face their predicament.
He stressed that an indictment is not a sentence as being perceived by some people.
The legal practitioner explained that it is only the court that can give a verdict on the report.
As if Barrister Abubakar was speaking the Mind of Malam Nasir El-Rufai, the former Governor directed his legal team to institute a matter against the state House of Assembly for alleged infringement of his rights while investigating financial management by his administration between 2015 and 2023.
El-Rufai asked the Federal High Court to declare as unconstitutional, the report of the state assembly indicting him of mismanaging about N423 billion from loans obtained by his administration.
The state House of Assembly had adopted the report of its ad-hoc committee that indicted El-Rufai of fraud and demanded his prosecution.
“His lawyer, AU Mustapha SAN, said that El-Rufai approached the court as a Nigerian citizen who is entitled to be given a fair hearing before his rights can be determined by a quasi-judicial or investigative body or courts in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
“El-Rufai also asked the court to declare that by the provisions of Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, the Report of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Investigation of Loans, Financial Transactions, Contractual Liabilities and Other Related Matters of the Government of Kaduna State from 29 May 2015 to 29 May 2023, as ratified by the Kaduna State House of Assembly, is unconstitutional and therefore null and void for violating his right to fair hearing as guaranteed under the Constitution”.
Reacting to this development, the Kaduna State House of Assembly member representing Zaria constituency, Mahmud Lawal said the former Governor Nasiru El-Rufai’s decision to pursue legal action over alleged misappropriation of N432 billion is “laughable”.
A politician in the state from the People Redemption Party (PRP), Abass Kajuru said even though he is not a fan of the two principal actors in the debt saga, he praised Gov Sani for maintaining silence on the issue, saying Kaduna state needs his time for projects that will be beneficial to the people who are bedeviled by insecurity and poverty.
Independent checks from the unfolding cold war in Kaduna state revealed that it is more than debt issues. On August 20, 2023, El-Rufai, in a post on his X handle said his ministerial loss was a result of betrayal. On the social media platform on that day, the ex-governor posted a reggae hit song, “Who The Cap Fits,” by the late Bob Marley, who laments that a friend who knows your secrets, eats and drinks with you is more dangerous than an enemy.
It was gathered that having failed the attempts to become a minister, the ex-governor nominated Jafaru Ibrahim Sani, a commissioner who is now acting as spokesman for the other Commissioner who served in the El-Rufai administration as a replacement.
Not pleased with this, Governor Sani rushed back from a trip to London to inform President Bola Tinubu at the State House that he was not in agreement with Jafaru Sani as the replacement minister for El-Rufai from Kaduna, said sources familiar with the conversation. The governor was said to have considered his authority undermined by his predecessor when he was not allowed to make the nomination.
After the ministerial saga, Uba Sani, who benefitted from several awkward political arrangements by El-Rufai, has since assumption of office on May 29, 2023, tried to reverse some of his predecessor’s past policies, especially those that had led to mutual distrust and violence among citizens of the state, especially the conflict between North and South Kaduna. He has since adopted a “Makarfi Option,” a coinage after ex-Governor Ahmed Makarfi who governed the state between 2007 to 2015 and ran an inclusive administration.
In a bid to ensure that people are on his side, Sani started carrying out popular policies such as the reduction of prohibitive school fees in all government schools and the setting up of an all-inclusive committee comprising workers and persons with disability under the leadership of local government chairmen to target 1.5 million houses in the first instance.
On Friday, Dec. 8, 2023, El-Rufai paid a condolence visit to victims of the mistaken drone bomb attack in Tudun Biri, Igabi Local Government Council of Kaduna state without Uba Sani.
Meanwhile, the governor has said despite the debt left behind by El-Rufai, the key priority areas of his government include safety and security, housing, education, healthcare, and support for Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). He said his government would also prioritize inclusive development by investing in human capital, stimulating the economy, and providing affordable housing.
Governor Uba Sani was categorically clear in his victory speech on how he intends to run his government. At the onset, he said his government would not discriminate against anyone based on his faith, tribe, and beliefs. He said ‘my government is for all.’ He followed it with actions.
He created the Elders Committee with Alh Mustapha Abubakar as chairman and Gen Zamani Lekwot as co-chairman. He meets with the committee periodically to brief them on the state of affairs as well as to listen to them on areas he needs to adjust or improve.
Likewise, he created a religious committee comprising prominent religious leaders across the state the two dominant faiths. Like the Elders Committee, he meets them periodically where they discuss areas of mutual coexistence. According to him, these two committees are critical to the sustenance of peace in the state.
Within one year in office, he has reached out to different segments of the society like the Labour, Southern Kaduna Christian leaders, students, women groups, civil society, etc. His leadership impact is felt by the people especially those in the rural areas where his political godfather was believed to have neglected.
