Peter Obi: Ex-CAN secretary accuses El-Rufai of making inflammatory statements

– A clergyman has advised Governor Nasir El-Rufai to avoid making inflammatory utterances against individuals in the country

– The advise was given by former Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) secretary Kaduna state chapter, Reverend John Joseph Hayab

– He accused El-Rufai of consistently insulting or denigrating some individuals or group of people since he became governor

A former Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) secretary Kaduna state chapter, Reverend John Joseph Hayab, has accused Mallam Nasir El-Rufai of consistently insulting or denigrating some individuals or group of people since he became governor.

Hayab was reacting to Governor El-Rufai’s recent tweet accusing former Anambra state governor, Mr Peter Obi of being a tribal bigot.

Obi is the vice-presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the forth-coming 2019 presidential elections.

Since El-Rufai’s tweet, loyalists of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have been using social media to push the narrative.

In a statement sent to TRACK NEWS on Sunday, November 11, Hayab said the tweet by El-Rufai clearly shows that the Kaduna governor needs to go and look at himself in the mirror.

El-Rufai has in the past being accused of making divisive statements when his party, the APC, was in opposition.

Part of the statement read: “It seems that Governor El-Rufai takes pleasure in making bad and inciting comments about others but unable to bear/reason that his leadership style is worse than that of those he is quick to accuse.

“When some Christian leaders years back complained about how he made mockery of Jesus on his Twitter page, it seemed then that they deliberately accused him of such a recklessness for political reasons, but little did we realise that such inflammatory comments were El-Rufai’s trademarks.

“For instance, since El-Rufai became the governor of Kaduna state, many of his utterances have been either to insult or denigrate some individuals or group of people. In fact, his recent tweet accusing Mr. Peter Obi of being a tribal bigot clearly shows that the governor needs to go and look at himself in the mirror.

“Although, I am not from south-east Nigeria, but a visit to Awka and meeting people on the streets of Onitsha shows that the man El-Rufai wants Nigerians to believe is a bigot led Anambra state with an exemplary leadership style of tolerance and the promotion of peaceful coexistence unlike El-Rufai who has polarised Kaduna state with divisive actions and inciting utterances.”

The former CAN secretary advised the governor to quit issuing divisive and distractive statements and actions.

He also advised the governor to focus more on his duties as a leader of the state and stop poke-nosing into affairs that have little or no link to the administration of Kaduna state.

“We demand that Governor El-Rufai should concentrate on making Kaduna state peaceful and prosperous by delivering fair, unbiased, and equitable leadership, rather than being at war with almost everyone who holds a differing view from his.

“The undeniable truth is that the governor’s actions and utterances about people and situations both in the state and elsewhere have further impaired the peace we once enjoyed in Kaduna.

“Going by what one of the governor’s former bosses once said, it is now glaring how El-Rufai’s temperament and maturity to lead at any level should be questioned.

“My candid advise to the governor is that he should stop pointing leprous fingers at others and, instead, take a hard look at the mirror as his utterances, poor political equations and decisions have heightened suspicion and distrust, a development that is condemnable and unfortunate,” he added.

Meanwhile, Obi has cautioned Governor El-Rufai to stop making comments that could cause hatred among Nigerians.

The former governor of Anambra state who spoke with journalists at a youth programme in Nnewi, expressed shock over the comment credited to El-Rufai, especially when “the statement came unprovoked.”

“At this difficult times in our country, when thousands of our brothers and sisters across ethnic divide are killed all over the country, including innocent citizens in Kaduna state; millions of our children from all the parts of the country are out of school; millions of Nigerian youths from all the parts of the country are without jobs, our pre-occupation, especially among those that are in government should not be making reckless speeches,” Obi said.