Former federal lawmaker and respected Northern statesman, Senator Bala Ibn Na’Allah, has pushed back against Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State over his recent call for past Northern political leaders to apologise for the region’s underdevelopment.
In a strongly worded statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday, April 23, 2025, Na’Allah described Governor Sani’s remarks as “regrettable”; and lacking specificity. While he said he would typically ignore such comments, he felt compelled to respond due to their seriousness and potential impact on public opinion.
Governor Sani, in a recent television interview, had urged Northern politicians—particularly those who held office in the last 20 years, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai—to apologise for what he described as their collective failure to lift the region from its backwardness.
Senator Na’Allah, who represented Kebbi South in both the Senate and House of Representatives, rejected the blanket condemnation. “I have had the rare privilege of serving as a two-term member of the House and a two-term senator,”; he said. “During these years, I rendered my service to Nigeria—and by extension, the North—with honesty, sincerity, and an unwavering commitment to inclusiveness.”;
He noted that he even served in the Senate alongside Governor Uba Sani and challenged the governor to name individuals specifically, rather than generalising.
“If, after all the sacrifices I have made and the challenges I have faced in public service, Senator Uba Sani still believes the North is entitled to an apology, I respectfully request that he specify who should apologise—and for what exact failings,”; Na’Allah said.
Beyond the immediate exchange, Na’Allah called for deeper reflection on leadership selection in the North. “As long as merit does not guide our selection of leadership, the region will continue to regress. The complex challenges confronting the North will only deepen,”; he warned.
His remarks have ignited widespread reactions among political watchers and Northern stakeholders, many of whom see his response as a clarion call for thoughtful leadership and accountability rather than finger-pointing.
