By Abdullateef Bambgose
Northern Nigeria Minorities Group, NNMG, has condemned what it described as reckless allegations by a former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, suggesting that President Bola Tinubu intends to extend his tenure beyond the constitutionally guaranteed eight years.
A press statement made available to journalists and signed by the convener of the group, Chief Jacob Edi, stated that
“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 said.
It stated that “a critical analysis of the former governor’s political trajectory shows a character trait of a man at war with himself.
“El-Rufai’s real problem is bitterness, not principle. We ask a simple question: if El-Rufai had been appointed into President Tinubu’s ministerial team, would he still be making these wild allegations?
“Everyone knows the answer. His rant is nothing more than sour grapes from a man who feels sidelined and irrelevant.
“From his days in government to his endless political scheming, he 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 propaganda can alter that reality. His attempt to drag the country into 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 destabilising
agent. His words are not those of a statesman, but of a bitter man
desperate to remain in the headlines.”
The group therefore demanded that the former minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, retract his statement and tender an apology to Nigerians for deliberately trying to poison the political atmosphere.
It also urged Nigerians to treat the former governor’s words with contempt, recognising them as nothing more than the wailings of a rejected politician.
It urged security agencies to place individuals like the former governor under strict watch, as their reckless statements are capable of sparking unnecessary tension.
