Former Kaduna Central Senator, Shehu Sani, has declared that ex-Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, did not contribute to the fight that ushered in Nigeria’s return to democracy in 1999.
Sani, speaking on Politics Tonight, a political programme aired on Television Continental (TVC), on Monday, drew a clear line between his own activism-driven entry into public life and El-Rufai’s rise through political appointments.
“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 remarked.
The former lawmaker highlighted his history as an activist, stressing that his political legitimacy was rooted in resistance to military dictatorship. “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 narrated.
According to Sani, while he endured persecution, incarceration, and torture during Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle, El-Rufai entered the national scene after 1999 by leveraging political opportunities, not through activism or sacrifice.
okay.ng reports that the outspoken former senator has often positioned himself as a moral voice in Nigerian politics, contrasting his activism roots with those he considers opportunists in government.
