Prior to the recent defection politics triggered by Mallam Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai, the Kaduna State governor, Uba Sani, was engaged in a simmering political feud with his predecessor, over governance style and issues of public accountability.

Yet, despite the political rift, the incumbent did not allow his administration to be derailed from its mission to transform Kaduna into an enviable one and leave a visible difference. The main target of Senator Sani, when he assumed office on May 29, 2023, was how to reunite the diverse ethnic and religious divisions among the people, tame the security challenges, embark on the rural and urban transformation, and the general socio-economic development of the State that were relatively absent under the el-Rufai eight-year administration.

Besides, in retrospect, Kaduna State under the last administration was bedevilled by religious, ethnic strife between the north and southern geopolitical regions, lopsidedness in development, kidnapping, banditry and killings.

At the end of former Governor el-Rufai’s government, thousands of people in Southern Kaduna; Birnin Gwari, Igabi, Giwa and other parts, lost their lives to terrorists and bandits, while many others also lost their homes and properties to demolition exercises .

Taming religious, socio-economic violence
It could be recalled that the face-off between the Shiites, otherwise known as the Islamic Movement in Nigeria (IMN), got to the climax, as the religious group also lost thousands of their members to clashes with Security Operatives. They, at one point, threatened to redress the actions at the International Criminal Court of Justice (ICCJ) in Hague.

Meanwhile, the coming of Governor Sani brought a semblance of peace, harmony and a path towards socio-economic transformation in the state. The era of insecurity and restiveness among the people was gradually tamed by the incumbent.

Coupled with Sani’s efforts in tackling the long-standing security challenges, which persisted throughout the eight years of el-Rufai, he has also engaged in bringing back development to the people of Southern Kaduna and some parts of northern geographical area, which have suffered from banditry, kidnapping and killings.

These communities – Zangon Kataf, Chikun, Kajuru, Lere, Kauru, Kaura, Igabi, Birnin, Zaria, and other parts of the state – can now go to the farms and also engage in other businesses, following the return of relative peace to the areas. To entrench this fresh vista, the Government also embarked on and commissioned rural electrification and roads projects in less than two years of the administration.

Governor Sani has, at several fora, promised to reshape the state and make it a model of development, ethnic harmony and cooperation. “We have committed ourselves to running a pro-people, pro-poor and all inclusive administration.

“Under my watch, equity and justice shall reign supreme in Kaduna state. Kaduna State is a miniature Nigeria. If you understand Kaduna State, chances are that you will understand Nigeria with its challenges, complexities and possibilities.

“There is no settler/indigene dichotomy in Kaduna state. We are all citizens of Kaduna state with equal rights, privileges and responsibilities”, the governor stated, while speaking at a conference on “Tackling poverty and insecurity in Nigeria.”

Empty till
The Sani administration’s travail started shortly after he took over from el-Rufai. The government cried out about a near empty treasury. Next to that, there was the complaint of serious local and international indebtedness running into billions of naira and millions of dollars, respectively.

As the new administration complained of having no money to pay monthly salaries of civil servants, the monthly allocation from the federation account, alongside the monthly internally generated revenue, were good enough just to service debts and other overhead costs.

The situation in the State became unbearable for Governor Sani, such that he had to take his case to the Presidency and the State House of Assembly to investigate the debts and empty treasury his predecessor left behind.

The outcome of the investigation by the Kaduna House of Assembly Committee found that el-Rufai allegedly siphoned billions of naira, in collaboration with his former commissioners and other aides, who are now being charged before the court of law for various offences of money laundering and financial misappropriation.

Besides, just last Friday, the anti-graft body, ICPC (Independent Corrupt Practices and Miscellaneous Offences Commission), prayed the Federal High Court in Kaduna for the temporary forfeiture of N1,373,180,510.07 suspected to have been diverted from the votes of the Kaduna Light Rail Project to a private company’s account.

The project was said to have been paid for by the immediate past administration, despite not being executed. According to ICPC, N1.373b was traced to an account belonging to Indo Kaduna Marts JV Nig. Ltd.

“The money,” the anti-graft commission said, “was allegedly diverted into a private account.” Although a source said there was a Joint Venture agreement in 2016 between the Kaduna State Government and the company, ICPC said it discovered that N11, 099, 579, 455.14 was lodged into the company’s account between December 23, 2016, and January 17, 2017, before the company was registered with the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC)

The commission disclosed in a motion ex-parte before the Federal High Court, Kaduna Division on February 14th, 2025, that the company was registered with the CAC on the 10th of May, 2017. No date has been fixed for hearing of the motion, which borders on the activities of Kaduna State Government during the Nasir el-Rufai administration.

The ICPC wanted the forfeited cash, which is currently in the custody of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), to be returned to the Kaduna State Government.

Ruptured friendship
Mallam el-Rufai’s recent defection to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) could be his way of putting a divide between him and his political legatee. Many people in Kaduna State and Nigeria are wondering how come the relationship between Sani and el-Rufai went from smooth to coarse. It could be recalled that during the President Olusegun Obasanjo era, the two political allies were jolly friends.

For instance, while el-Rufai served as the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Governor Sani was then his Special Adviser on Public Affairs. Again, when in 2015, the former became governor, the latter was his Special Adviser on Politics, until eventually becoming Senator in place of Senator Shehu Sani.

But Sani, who is a die-hard activist and comrade, and one of those that fought for the enthronement of democracy in the tough days of late General Sani Abacha had also posited that his becoming a governor in Kaduna State was devoid of personal interest, or aggrandizement. Rather, he said his major objective is to deliver good governance to Kaduna State people.

Recently, while responding to growing speculations about his relationship with el-Rufai, Governor Sani declared that the future of Kaduna “is more important than el-Rufai.” Sani, who rendered that response during a TVC news programme, disclosed that there are no issues between him and el-Rufai, claiming that their relationship remains “cordial.”

However, he stressed that moving Kaduna State forward was far more important than him and his predecessor. But watchers of Kaduna State politics believe that Sani’s comments were to conceal the long speculated political rift between him and his former principal. Moreover, it was seen as an attempt to divorce personal or political relationships from the weighty allegations of financial sleaze, which his administration levelled against el-Rufai’s former aides, Bashir Saidu.

Saidu, who served as el-Rufai’s Commissioner of Finance, was also accused of causing huge financial losses to the state by converting dollars to naira at below-parallel market rates.

The former Finance Commissioner was also alleged of mismanaging proceeds from the sale of 11 government houses. Besides, last year, Governor Sani disclosed that he inherited a huge debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities from the preceding administration, lamenting that “the huge debt had eaten deep into the state’s federal allocation.”

Speaking on Saturday at a Town Hall Meeting, tagged “The State of Kaduna State,” Sani said the situation is such that the government would have to borrow to be able to pay workers’ salaries.

Sani also disclosed that he had approached President Bola Tinubu for assistance, saying, “I have taken our cry to the President over these deductions. The President told me that the debt of $556 million is a World Bank debt and there is nothing he can do about it.

“He, however, promised to see how he could help us. Some of my governor colleagues have also promised to approach the President to assist Kaduna. In the next three months, we will be collecting N3.6 billion from the federal allocation.”

Meanwhile, in the midst of those allegations, el-Rufai has vehemently defended himself saying that his present travail is from the Presidency. el-Rufai claims that President Tinubu is using Governor Sani as an attack dog against him, to bolster his 2027 second term ambition.

But Governor Sani has engendered more followers into APC. Few days ago, scores of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faithful had decamped to APC, including the prominent Civil rights activist, Senator Shehu Sani.

Among others, the 50 Decampees that were received into APC, included, former Governor Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, Senator Suleiman Usman Hunkuyi, Senator Dajuma Tela la’ah, Senator Shehu Sani, Abubakar Mustapha, Alh. Jafaru Kurmin Kogi, Hon. Donatus K Mathew, Hon. Amos Gwamna Magaji, Hon. Henry Marah Zachariah, Hon. Samuel Kozah Kambai, Hon. Emmanuel Kantiok, Hon. Muh’d Sani Shaaban, Amb. Sule Buba, Hon. Yakubu Umar Barde, Prof. Mato Dogara and Hon. Micheal Autarky.

Sani stated on his Facebook account a few days ago that “the strength and dominance of our great party was in full display at the Murtala Square, Kaduna today, as I chaired the Stakeholders Meeting and Grand Rally of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”