Tinubu and Fawehinmi are my leaders not El-Rufai — Kaduna gov, Uba Sani

Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State has distanced himself from claims by his predecessor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, that he is one of his political mentees, clarifying that his guiding figures are President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi.

El-Rufai, in a recent television interview, had listed Sani among those he mentored, saying his greatest pride was in elevating others to positions of influence. However, in a response during an interview with TVC, Governor Sani dismissed the remark, stressing that he would not engage in personal exchanges.

“I don’t think it is necessary for me to respond to that comment because for me it is something I think I have no time to respond to,” Sani said, adding that his priority remains service to Kaduna people.

He went on to highlight the figures who shaped his political path, naming President Tinubu and Gani Fawehinmi as central to his journey. “Even President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, I met him in 1994 at the house of Beko Ransom Kuti, and I still regard him as my leader. Chief Gani Fawehinmi is a leader, a father to me because during the era of struggle, I lived in his house,” he noted.

The governor reaffirmed his commitment to governance over political debates. “If someone is speaking about me, I will not comment. But what I can say here is that I’m focusing on Kaduna. I don’t talk about individuals, my focus is Kaduna. I don’t get distracted, my eyes are on the ball,” he said.

Sani previously served as El-Rufai’s political adviser between 2015 and 2019, and with El-Rufai’s backing, he contested and won the Kaduna Central senatorial seat in 2019.