By Jude Opara, Abuja
A group under the aegis of the Northern Nigeria Minorities Group (NNMG) has condemned the former governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai over his alleged claims that President Bola Tinubu has plans to extend his tenure beyond the constitutionally approved maximum of eight years.
In a statement on Wednesday, Convener of the group, Chief Jacob Edi said El-Rufai was only speaking out of malice and frustration, probably because he may not have gotten what he had expected from the present administration.
Edi, a former Chairman of the FCT Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) added that contrary to the position of the former governor, there is no indication anywhere to have supported his accusations.
“It is our well considered view that the former governor, now effectively one of
Nigeria’s content creators, is talking simply out of malice, pure bitterness,
recklessness, frustration and an affront to democracy”.
The statement further took a swipe at El-Rufai who is a former Minister of the FCT, describing him as a man who is often at war with himself and with the traits of a betrayer and a blackmailer.
“From his days in government to his endless political scheming, El-Rufai has shown himself as a man addicted to
betrayal and blackmail. He thrives on heating up the polity with lies when
his personal ambitions are not served.
“Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution is crystal clear on the tenure of a President. No amount of El-Rufai’s propaganda can alter that reality. His attempt to drag the country into a needless fear-mongering is both treacherous and dangerous.
“At a time when Nigeria needs unity, focus, and healing, El-Rufai has once again positioned himself as a destabilizing agent. His words are not those of a statesman but of a bitter man
desperate to remain in the headlines”.
The NNMG charged El-Rufai to without further delay, retract his “lies” and tender an apology to Nigerians for trying to heat up the political atmosphere, and also urged the security agencies to place him and other people who make such inflammatory statements on their watch list.
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