The ongoing political rift between former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and former lawmaker Shehu Sani escalated on Thursday as Sani mocked El-Rufai, calling him a “midget professor” who is now “jobless and frustrated” after being sidelined by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
Sani’s remarks were in response to El-Rufai’s recent criticism of the All Progressives Congress (APC), where he accused Tinubu’s government of suppressing opposition parties. Taking to his X handle, Sani dismissed El-Rufai’s statements as hypocritical, arguing that while in power, the former governor was known for oppressive governance but now seeks to portray himself as a defender of democracy.
“Out of power, he is sanctimoniously preaching democracy to the country he helped wreck, plundered, and persecute,” Sani wrote.
Mocking El-Rufai’s recent remarks about illiteracy in governance, Sani suggested that his grievances stem from being excluded from the current administration.
“He is like a man who was turned down by a woman and then resorted to speaking ill of her. Tinubu was his angel until he was ‘evicted from the house’; now he tells the world Tinubu is a demon,” Sani added.
El-Rufai, speaking at a national conference in Abuja earlier this week, had criticized Nigeria’s leadership, stating that the country is being run by “illiterates, semi-illiterates, and cunning people.” His comments were made in the presence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other political figures.
Sani further accused El-Rufai of seeking relevance by attending northern political gatherings to stir sectional sentiments, portraying him as a desperate figure attempting to regain influence.
The heated exchange highlights the deepening division within Nigeria’s political landscape, with former allies turning against each other as political dynamics shift within the ruling APC.
