Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has asserted that Nasir El-Rufai, the former Governor of Kaduna State, owes his political rise to former President Muhammadu Buhari.
Sani highlighted that El-Rufai had not participated in any elections prior to 2015 when he joined the now-defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), a precursor to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The seasoned politician from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) mentioned that it was Buhari’s support that enabled El-Rufai to secure victory in the 2015 primary election and the subsequent governorship election. He emphasized that El-Rufai’s political journey was significantly influenced by Buhari.
Sani elaborated on his interaction with El-Rufai, describing how they crossed paths on the national stage. He pointed out that he had won an election without external assistance and had been engaged in activism and politics for a significant period.
Sani shared his perspective with The Findwhosabi, stating, “Nasir El-Rufai met me on the national scene as a man who was already known. He also met me in the field of activism and also in politics. He just contested in 2015. He had never contested an election before then. And I won my election without anybody’s support. Buhari had to raise his (El-Rufai’s) hand for him to win the primary in 2015, and he (Buhari) also had to come to campaign for him to win. So, he was a product of Buhari.
“That’s why I said we differed ideologically in the way in which the state is being run. I told him that he’s used to fighting different people and getting away with it. But he’s fighting an old prisoner and a man who had spent over four years in prison, who had eaten with prisoners and had lived with warders and had been to many cells in his life and not like him when he was chased out by the Yar’Adua’s administration. People asked why I was still attacking him. When I left the Senate in 2019, Nasir El-Rufai kept attacking me for four years.”
Sani expressed his ideological differences with El-Rufai in terms of governance and strategy. He pointed out that while El-Rufai was accustomed to confronting various individuals and evading repercussions, he himself had faced significant challenges during his time in prison.
Regarding his contentious relationship with El-Rufai, Sani mentioned that the former governor consistently targeted him in the media even after he left the Senate. He noted that he had warned El-Rufai about the transient nature of power and had promised to respond to attacks and criticisms.