Former cabinet members in Nasir El-Rufai’s administration have strongly condemned the current governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani, accusing him of fabricating corruption allegations against El-Rufai for political gain. The former officials issued a statement on Wednesday, rejecting the recent report from the Kaduna House of Assembly that accused El-Rufai’s administration of misappropriating N423 billion.
In their statement, the former officials dismissed the allegations as unproven and politically motivated. The report from the Kaduna House of Assembly claimed that El-Rufai’s government was involved in massive financial mismanagement, but the former aides to the ex-governor insisted that no evidence supports such claims. They further argued that these allegations are part of a larger effort to discredit El-Rufai and tarnish his reputation.
The former officials, in a post shared by El-Rufai via X (formerly Twitter), accused Governor Uba Sani of attempting to take credit for major projects that were initiated under El-Rufai’s leadership. They claimed that these ongoing infrastructure developments, such as schools and other key projects, were wrongly being presented as Sani’s accomplishments. “We will not be silenced. We will continue to defend our legacy and expose this smokescreen of deceit,” the officials said in their statement.
The aides also expressed concern that the true intention behind the allegations is to undermine El-Rufai’s future political prospects. They suggested that the accusations against the former governor were calculated moves to weaken his influence and prevent him from playing a role in future political developments in the region.
Several projects, which the former officials pointed out, are now being attributed to the current governor, Uba Sani, were started and funded under El-Rufai’s administration. These include various educational and infrastructural initiatives that were aimed at improving the state’s economy and social services. The aides contended that Sani’s efforts to take credit for these projects were part of a broader campaign to discredit the achievements of the previous administration.
In addition to the allegations of financial mismanagement, the former officials expressed deep concern about the treatment of El-Rufai’s allies, especially in relation to the ongoing legal troubles faced by two former officials from the past administration. These two individuals are currently facing charges of corruption and have been detained, prompting questions from El-Rufai’s former aides about whether these charges are politically motivated as well.
