THE ARCHAEOLOGY OF SLANDER – DECONSTRUCTING A 19-YEAR-OLD POLITICAL HIT JOB

By Francis Fagjot John, PhD.

“The Thief Who Was Never Caught Will Never Stop Stealing.” A provocative headline. A compelling narrative. A masterclass in selective memory and convenient amnesia.

Let us be clear from the outset: TipsNews International does not engage in propaganda. We do not peddle recycled political vendettas disguised as investigative journalism. We deal in facts, evidence, and verifiable truth. And the truth about Governor Senator Uba Sani, CON, is one that his detractors—both within and outside Kaduna State—desperately wish to bury.

THE CONVENIENT TIMING OF A 19-YEAR-OLD “DISCOVERY”

The article in question claims the author stumbled upon a 2007 petition “while digging through archives” and reading old newspapers. Let us pause to appreciate the theatrical convenience of this discovery—19 years after the fact, and just as Governor Uba Sani’s re-election campaign gains momentum.

The timing is not coincidental. It is calculated.

As Baba Jibril, an APC chieftain in Kaduna State, rightly observed, these allegations are “politically motivated and lacking any legal basis”. If the 2006 petition had contained credible evidence of wrongdoing, it would have led to prosecution or sanctions long before Sani became governor. The fact that it did not—and that Governor Sani has continued to rise in public service, from Special Assistant to Senator, and now to Governor—demonstrates the emptiness of these claims.

THE LOGICAL FALLACY OF GUILT BY ACCUSATION

The article’s central thesis rests on a logical fallacy: that an unproven accusation equals guilt. This is not journalism; this is character assassination by innuendo.

Consider the following facts:

If Governor Sani were the “thief” the article alleges, why has no court ever convicted him? Why has no anti-corruption agency ever prosecuted him? Why has he consistently passed every integrity test required of public office holders?

The answer is simple: because the allegations are baseless.

THE POLITICAL CONTEXT: OBASANJO-ATIKU FEUD AND POLITICAL VENDETTAS

The article conveniently omits the political context of the 2006–2007 period. As Baba Jibril noted, the petition was “a tool used by opponents during the intense Obasanjo-Atiku feud of that era”. This was a period of intense political warfare, where accusations were weaponized against political opponents with little regard for truth or due process.

Governor Sani, then a young Special Assistant to President Olusegun Obasanjo on Public Affairs, was caught in the crossfire of a political war that had nothing to do with his integrity and everything to do with the ambitions of powerful actors.

THE PRO-DEMOCRACY PEDIGREE: A RECORD OF SACRIFICE, NOT CORRUPTION

To understand Governor Uba Sani is to understand his roots in Nigeria’s pro-democracy struggle. Long before he held any public office, he was a young activist who risked his life for the restoration of democratic rule. As a prominent figure in the National Democratic Coalition (NADECO) and the Campaign for Democracy, he endured arrests, harassment, and detention, standing alongside legends like Chief Gani Fawehinmi and Dr. Beko Ransom-Kuti to fight for the actualization of the June 12 mandate.

His loyalty was to conscience and country, not to any political godfather.

To label a man of such proven integrity as a “thief” is not just false; it is a grotesque rewriting of history.

A CALL TO THE READER: JUDGE BY RESULTS, NOT RECYCLED ALLEGATIONS

The people of Kaduna State have seen the results of Governor Uba Sani’s leadership. They have witnessed:

• Zero ethno-religious conflicts since he assumed office—unprecedented in recent memory
• Over 150 road projects covering more than 1,400 kilometres across all 23 local government areas
• 255 Primary Healthcare Centres upgraded to Level II status—the first state in Nigeria to achieve this milestone
• Tuition fees reduced by 50% in all state-owned tertiary institutions
• Over 300,000 out-of-school children re-enrolled in schools
• Agricultural budget increased from ₦1.48 billion to over ₦100 billion—the first subnational to surpass the 10% Malabo Declaration benchmark

These are not the achievements of a “thief.” These are the achievements of a leader focused on delivering results for his people.

CONCLUSION: THE MASK HAS SLIPPED—BUT ON WHOM?

The article’s author claims “the mask has slipped” and “the archives have spoken.” But the mask that has truly slipped is the mask of the propagandist who pretends to be a journalist.

TipsNews International will not be a platform for recycled political vendettas. We stand with truth. We stand with evidence. And we stand with Governor Senator Uba Sani, CON—a leader whose record of service speaks louder than any unsubstantiated petition. Thank you, Ben Kure Managing Director and Chief Executive Officer of Kaduna State Media Corporation (KSMC), for alerting us regard developments on this candidate and reelection 2027.