Re: Petition Against the Use of Public Funds for Personal Political Campaigns

By Abubakar Rabiu Abubakar

It has been brought to the attention of Senator Uba Sani's Political Organization that an amorphous group that goes by the name "Concerned PDP Members, Kaduna State" has written a petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) alleging that our principal has been using public funds for personal political purposes. In particular, they pointed at the Senator's mobilization of his constituents to access the CBN/NIRSAL COVID 19 funds for households and small businesses as evidence of his use of public funds to influence party delegates.

We are not surprised at this act of desperation by political opponents using hired hands. Since Senator Uba Sani's entry into the governorship race, entrenched political forces have become jittery, thus a resort to blackmail, concocting of lies and unnecessary heating up of the Kaduna State political landscape. The petition reeks of crass ignorance. What else can we say of petition writers who are unaware that the CBN/NIRSAL COVID 19 Funds is a Federal Government Intervention to cushion the effect of COVID-19 on vulnerable households and distressed small and medium enterprises. They are not aware that it is a mark of responsiveness for a representative of the people to effectively mobilise them to access such funds.

(1) As an illustrious son of Kaduna state and lover of his people, Senator Uba Sani encouraged the majority of his people to apply and benefit from the loan. As a result of his mobilization and equipping of his people with financial skills, over 10,000 people from Kaduna State benefitted from this loan. Most of the beneficiaries are rural farmers, traders and artisans and market women. Out of these 10,000 beneficiaries, just about 500 are party delegates. This convincingly proves that the aim was not political patronage but to mobilize people in need to access the funds. The Covid 19 Loan is for all Nigerians. Citizens from different states of the federation have been benefiting from this loan since it was flagged off without complaints and hiccups. Unfortunately, some elements in Kaduna State cannot live with the fact that a first time Senator has broken new grounds and has surpassed all expectations. They are applying foul means to try to stop the momentum his governorship project is gathering.

(2) On the allegation of a compilation of account numbers to bribe the electorate, nothing can be farther from the truth. If the masquerades behind this petition had cared to do a little research, they would have realized that because of the low level of financial literacy and inclusion in Kaduna State in particular and Northern Nigeria in general, few persons have been able to access Federal Government interventions. We may recall that the CBN rolled out the percentage of citizens without a bank account. About 70% of people in Northern Nigeria have no account details. In his usual manner of intervention, Senator Uba Sani partnered with CBN in organizing seminars and training for his people on the need to be financially included as a basis for benefitting from empowerment programmes, government loan schemes and other subsidies in the country.

Senator Uba Sani is focused on his bid to secure the mandate of the good people of Kaduna State to take the state to higher heights. He is interested in issues-based politicking. Character assassination and concocting of lies are not his idea of politics. He is ever ready to join issues based on facts and sound arguments. The use of proxies or hatchet men to fight political battles is an act of cowardice. The EFCC have enough on their plate to worry about, not to be treating ill-conceived and mischievous petitions that are not grounded in facts or logic.


Abubakar Rabiu Abubakar is Zonal Chief Constituency Officer to the Senator of Kaduna Central, Uba Sani