Kaduna State governor, Senator Uba Sani, has listed President Bola Tinubu and the late human rights lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, among his political mentors.
He revealed this on Sunday while responding to questions during an interview on TVC.
Daily Trust reports that the immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, had described Sani as his mentee.
SPONSOR AD
“Yes, 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. Some even greater than me, and I’m very proud of it,” he said during an on Politics Today, a programme on Channels Television.
But speaking during the TVC interview, gov Sani skipped El-Rufai when asked about his mentors.
“I’m a bit curious. You spoke about your article and mentioned Chief Gani Fawehinmi as your leader. However, former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in an interview described you as his mentee, suggesting you are under his political tutelage.
“Now you’re saying Gani Fawehinmi is your leader, so I’m just trying to reconcile the two,” the programme host, Femi Akande, asked.
Responding, the governor said his focus was on delivering good governance in Kaduna rather than responding to insinuations about political mentorship.
“I don’t think it is necessary to respond to that comment. I have worked with a lot of people in my life. Even President Bola Tinubu — I met him in 1994 at the house of Beko Ransome-Kuti. I still regard him as my leader.
“Chief Gani Fawehinmi is a leader and father to me, because during the era of struggle, I lived and stayed in his house. My focus is Kaduna. I don’t talk about individuals; I don’t get distracted, my eyes are on the ball.”
Governor Sani was El-Rufai’s political adviser when the latter served his first term as governor between 2015 and 2019.
El-Rufai then supported Sani to replace Shehu Sani as the senator for the Kaduna Central district in 2019, before also supporting the incumbent governor in succeeding him in 2023.
Speaking during an interview in February, El-Rufai alleged that the Kaduna governor was being used to fight him by Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser.