Shehu Sani Slams El-Rufai: ‘A Tyrant Can’t Preach Democracy’

Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has taken a swipe at ex-Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over his recent political remarks, accusing him of tyranny while in office and hypocrisy after leaving power.

El-Rufai, speaking at an Abuja event on Monday, criticized his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), for straying from its founding principles and fostering weak leadership. He remarked, “You cannot afford to have illiterates, semi-illiterates, and cunning people as your leaders. This is why we end up with the poor leadership we have today.”

Reacting in a telephone interview on Tuesday, Sani dismissed El-Rufai’s sudden advocacy for democracy, describing him as a man notorious for suppressing opposition and rejecting criticism. “Someone with an undisguised intolerance for dissent has no moral or saintly authority to mount the pulpit of democracy and preach good governance,” Sani stated.

The former senator further mocked El-Rufai’s shift in stance, likening it to a man who once demonized the opposition but now courts their support after losing power. “El-Rufai’s attitude is like someone bitter over rejection. If he’s in a Keke Napep, he will call it a Lamborghini; if thrown out of the Lamborghini, he will call it a Keke Napep,” he quipped.

Sani also alleged that El-Rufai’s outburst stemmed from Tinubu’s administration refusing to appoint his ally, Professor Nasiru, whom Sani claimed “left behind a heap of garbage in Kaduna and is now preaching hygiene in Nigeria.”