By Alexis Uchendu
Former Senator Shehu Sani has criticized ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai over his comments regarding allegations of nepotism against President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The debate centers on claims that Tinubu’s appointments at the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL), heavily favor the South-West.
Farooq Kperogi, a US-based Nigerian professor of journalism, had accused Tinubu of governing with a “Lagos mindset,” likening his actions to former President Muhammadu Buhari’s alleged favoritism toward northerners in security appointments.
Responding on X (formerly Twitter), El-Rufai seemingly agreed with Kperogi, stating, “Two wrongs don’t make a right. Sensible inclusion trumps senseless exclusion.”
Sani, in a swift response via X, accused El-Rufai of hypocrisy.
“There were people who were silent when Buhari was filling political offices with his kinsmen and have now found their voice to speak out when the equation doesn’t favor them,” Sani wrote.
The former senator also accused El-Rufai of marginalizing Southern Kaduna during his tenure, describing Kaduna under his leadership as “an apartheid state for eight years.”
He argued that El-Rufai lacked the moral authority to criticize Tinubu on issues of nepotism given his alleged track record of exclusion.
The exchange has reignited debates about inclusivity in governance, with Nigerians divided over the issue of ethnic representation in federal appointments.
