Shehu Sani, a former senator representing Kaduna Central in the Eighth Senate, has accused former Governor Nasir el-Rufai of whining because President Bola Tinubu’s appointments of individuals into key federal positions do not favour him.

While reacting to an opinion by the Nigerian-American writer Farooq Kperogi who alleged a plot by Mr Tinubu to replace the head of NNPCL with yet another Yoruba man, Mr el-Rufai asked Mr Tinubu to stop being arrogant, urging the president against politics of exclusion.

“Two wrongs do not make a right. Sensible inclusion always trumps arrogant exclusion,” the ex-governor wrote on X on Saturday, slamming Mr Tinubu for loading key federal positions with his Yoruba kinsmen.

Mr Sani, who slammed his northern counterpart in a post on X on Sunday, accused Mr el-Rufai of being silent about the nepotistic appointments under former President Muhammadu Buhari.

“There were people who were silent when Buhari was fielding political offices with his kinsmen and have found their voice to speak out when the equation doesn’t favour them,” Mr Sani wrote.

The former lawmaker further alleged Mr el-Rufai’s administration marginalised Southern Kaduna, adding the former governor made life unbearable to many people during his two-term reign.

“Let’s not make reference to the nepotism that marginalised Southern Kaduna for eight years. Kaduna was an apartheid state for eight years,” Mr Sani noted.

Mr el-Rufai’s administration was criticised for promoting division and inequality.

One of the controversies surrounding his administration was his discrimination against Christians in Kaduna. In a viral video last year, el-Rufai admitted he did not give Christians key positions in his government because they did not vote for him.