PDP Slams Kaduna Gov For Blaming El-Rufai Over N6.7bn Monthly Debt
The Kaduna state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has faulted Governor Uba Sani over his attribution of the state’s N6.7 billion monthly loan deductions to the administration of his predecessor, Nasir El-Rufai.
Politics Nigeria reports that the party accused Sani of attempting to distance himself from a loan he allegedly played a key role in securing while serving as Senator representing Kaduna Central and Chairman of the Senate Committee on Banking.
In a statement on Friday, Kaduna PDP Chairman, Edward Percy Masha, said the governor’s comments on Channels Television amounted to an attempt to “rewrite history or shift responsibility” for the state’s debt burden.
Masha recalled that in March 2020, Sani was among those who championed the approval of a $350 million World Bank loan for Kaduna State by the ninth Senate, after the eighth Senate had rejected the facility.
According to him, Sani had publicly vouched for the El-Rufai administration’s ability to prudently utilise the loan and even asked to be held responsible if the former governor failed to do so.
Masha argued that having supported and defended the facility, Sani could not now present the resulting repayment obligations as a burden for which he had no connection.
“Governor Uba Sani cannot lead the campaign for a loan, publicly defend it, ask to be held responsible for its prudent utilisation, and then, years later, present the resulting repayment burden as though he had no role in the process,” he said.
The PDP chairman said the monthly N6.7 billion deduction was being serviced under Sani’s administration and therefore demanded greater transparency on how the governor intended to manage the obligation.
Rather than engaging in a blame game, Masha urged the governor to explain to Kaduna residents how his administration would sustain essential services, ease pressure on the state’s finances and manage the inherited debt.
The party said public records could not be altered to suit changing political circumstances, insisting that accountability must apply to all those involved in decisions leading to the state’s current financial position.
The PDP therefore challenged Sani to “stop looking backwards for excuses” and focus on providing concrete solutions to the debt burden confronting the state.
However, Sani had earlier maintained that his administration had not borrowed any money since he assumed office, despite continuing to service loans inherited from previous governments.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today programme on Thursday, the governor said Kaduna State currently spends about N6.7 billion every month servicing inherited debts.
“Since I became governor, I’ve not borrowed with one kobo,” Sani said, attributing his administration’s fiscal approach to what he described as prudence and careful prioritisation of government expenditure.
The governor also defended his administration’s performance, citing interventions in agriculture, education, infrastructure, skills development and security.
On education, Sani disclosed that the state had identified approximately 550,000 out-of-school children through a household-mapping exercise.
He said more than 300,000 of the children had subsequently been returned to school, adding that the programme remained ongoing.
The governor said the data-driven approach had enabled the government to better identify the affected children and target interventions aimed at addressing the state’s out-of-school population.
