Shehu Sani says detained El-Rufai is facing consequences of his tenure
Former senator Shehu Sani has accused detained former Kaduna governor Nasir El-Rufai of misgovernance and alleged abuses of state power during his time in office. Sani made the claims on Channels Television, while El-Rufai, who is being held by the ICPC over corruption allegations, has not responded to them.
Former Kaduna Central senator Shehu Sani has accused detained former governor Nasir El-Rufai of facing the consequences of alleged misgovernance and abuses committed while he was in office. Sani made the remarks on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today. He was responding to El-Rufai’s recent complaint that former allies, colleagues and family members had remained silent during his difficulties.
El-Rufai is being detained by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over corruption allegations. In a Facebook statement titled “My Relationships and the Aftermath”, he complained about the lack of support from people close to him. Sani said losing allies was a natural consequence of being out of power.
He recalled his own experience of spending a long period “in the gulag” and said people could view events differently when they were no longer in public circulation. He alleged that El-Rufai had shown disregard for the rule of law as governor, including by disobeying court orders and detaining opponents. Sani also accused the administration of using state power against political critics between 2015 and 2023.
Among the examples he cited were journalist Luka Binyat, whom he said was arrested over a report, and 89 community leaders from Kachia who he alleged were detained for more than nine months after protesting the killing of a local leader. He also mentioned Islamic clerics, a Kaduna State University lecturer and a Leadership newspaper reporter. Sani further alleged that members of the Islamic Movement in Nigeria remained detained for years over murder charges following clashes with security forces.
He accused the former administration of failing to support security agencies amid violence in Southern and Central Kaduna. El-Rufai has not responded to the allegations described in the report. Sani and El-Rufai previously belonged to the All Progressives Congress but later became political rivals.
Sani is now seeking a return to the Kaduna Central Senate seat under the APC, according to the source material.
This independently written report is based on information supplied by the named publisher. Vertrix News has not independently verified the source report.