Former Kaduna Central lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has accused ex-Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, of lacking proper understanding of democracy and entrenching political violence during his administration.
Sani, speaking on TVC’s Politics Tonight on Monday, said the former governor could not appreciate the values of democracy because he was never part of the struggle that restored it in Nigeria.
“For people like Nasir, when they found themselves in a position or office, they don’t know what democracy is all about because they didn’t fight for it,” Sani said.
“He’s an unknown figure before 1999 and became a PDP (member). He has never been in the cell for one. He has never been in prison. He has never worn handcuffs.”
The activist-turned-politician contrasted his own experiences with El-Rufai’s, recalling how he endured arrests, imprisonment, and torture in the fight for democratic rule.
“As you see me here, I have been through the rough times of my life. I’ve been through many prisons, I have been through many police stations. I wore prison uniforms. I wore leg chains, I wore handcuffs as a political prisoner fighting for this democracy that is 25 years old,” he stated.
Sani further alleged that El-Rufai laid the foundation for thuggery and bloodshed in Kaduna politics, claiming he groomed loyalists to intimidate opponents while in power.
“To show you that Nasir El-Rufai was the founder and the architect of thuggery, political violence and bloodshed in Kaduna State, within the time he served as a governor from 2015 to 2023, he has bred a group of thugs that became his unofficial force being used against political opponents,” he alleged.
The former senator also described El-Rufai as arrogant and intolerant of dissenting views.
“He didn’t care when he was in office. He didn’t listen to anybody. Nobody can talk to him. Nobody can caution him. Nobody can restrain him.
“That’s why he can sack thousands of teachers and go free. He can sack thousands of civil servants and go free. He can demolish anybody’s house,” Sani added.