Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, has dismissed claims by his predecessor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, that he is one of his political mentees.
Speaking in an interview with TVC on Sunday, Governor Sani stated that his political leaders are President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the late Chief Gani Fawehinmi, not El-Rufai.
“I don’t think it is necessary for me to respond to that comment because for me, it is something I have no time to respond to,” he said.
He went on to acknowledge the figures who influenced his political path, saying:
“I have so many people that I’ve worked with in my life. 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.”
El-Rufai had earlier, during a Channels Television interview, described Sani as one of the many people he mentored, expressing pride in having nurtured several individuals who went on to achieve greatness.
“Uba Sani is one of my mentees. I developed many of them. My biggest pride in life is that I’ve elevated many people… I’ve encouraged and mentored many people to greatness,” the former governor had said.
Reacting, however, Governor Sani insisted he would not be distracted by personal remarks, stressing that his focus remains on governance.
“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.
Governor Sani previously served as El-Rufai’s political adviser between 2015 and 2019. Ahead of the 2019 election, El-Rufai supported him to replace Shehu Sani as senator representing Kaduna Central.