How APC women leader criticised Uba Sani..

The rift between the governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani and his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai assumed a new dimension as a women leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Hajia Maryam Suleiman

By Haruna Salami

The rift between the governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani and his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai assumed a new dimension as a women leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Hajia Maryam Suleiman has slammed Governor Uba Sani, alleging disloyalty to the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai within a short time that he became the governor, describing him as “ungrateful with short memory”.

In a video which has gone viral and sighted in Abuja on Monday, Mrs. Suleiman criticized Uba Sani and recalled how in 2019 the former governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai travelled almost 500 times to lobby the party chieftains at the APC headquarters in Abuja to ensure that Senator Shehu Sani was replaced with Uba to represent Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 9th National Assembly.

The viral video has earned Mrs. Suleiman suspension as the Women leader of Badarawa/Mailali Ward of the ruling All Progressives Congress in Kaduna State for what it called “gross misconduct”.

Speaking in Hausa, Mrs. Suleiman, who is popularly called Mai Rusau until her suspension said El-Rufai fought hard and took risk to remove Senator Shehu Sani out of the way for Uba who was considered loyal at the time.

“As APC leaders in Kaduna, I know how El-Rufai travelled severally, almost 500 times to lobby Buhari and party leaders in Abuja to change Shehu Sani for Uba”, she said.

Meanwhile, her suspension letter dated 31st March, 2024 which was obtained on Monday, signed by Ali Maishago, Ward Chairman and Saka Bassahuwa Ward Secretary, respectively, cited gross misconduct for criticizing governor Uba Sani as reasons for her subsequent suspension.

Part of the letter read: “The Badarawa/Mailali Ward APC Executive Committee, after due deliberations and careful examination on the viral video clip released on 30th March, 2024 via social media networks: Facebook, WhatsApp, and Tiktok which is against the constitution of our dear party, APC as stated in Article 21.2 (v).

“Subsequently, the party relied on defamation of character of his Excellency, the Executive Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Uba Sani.

“Unauthorised publicity of the party dispute that discredited the personality of the Executive Governor of Kaduna State. From today, Sunday 31st March, the leadership of APC in Badarawa/Malali Ward unanimously resolved to suspend Hajiya Maryam Suleiman from the party pending further investigation on the matter from the constituted authority”.

Meanwhile, Senator Shehu Sani who represented Kaduna Central Senatorial District in the 8th Senate on Monday recalled how he was blocked by the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai when he attempted to return to the 9th Senate.

According to him, the governor blocked his return to the Senate because he stopped him from accessing the sum of $350 million World Bank loan when he was the Chairman , Senate Committee on Local and Foreign Debts, insisting that he did that in the interest of the people of Kaduna State, as the debt handing on the state was more than revenue accruing to the state at the time.

Sani said “as Senate Committee Chairman on Local and Foreign Debts in the 8th Senate, I did block El-Rufai from accessing the sum of $350 million loan after I have analysed critically the huge debt that was hanging on the state at the time. I did that out of genuine interest for the state and not out of malice, but, it became an offence, El-Rufai used against me”.

Governor Uba Sani lamented the huge debt burden he inherited from former Governor El-Rufai’s government. Speaking at a Town Hall meeting Saturday, Governor Sani said, “Despite the huge debt burden of $587 million , N85 billion , and N115 billion Naira contractual liabilities sadly inherited from the previous administration, we remain resolute in steering Kaduna State towards progress and sustainable development.”