Nasir el-Rufai, governor of
Kaduna state, has dismissed criticisms which trailed the threats he issued to
foreigners over the forthcoming elections.
When he featured on NTA on
Tuesday, the governor said foreigners planning to interfere with the country’s
election will leave in body bags. Body bags are used to convey corpses.
The comment had sparked an
outrage, with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) calling on the international
community to impose travel ban on the governor.
But in a statement which Samuel
Aruwan, his spokesman, issued on his behalf on Wednesday, el-Rufai said there
was nothing bad about the utterance he made.
“When Malam Nasir El-Rufai
appeared on NTA’s Tuesday Night Live, he made comments every patriot can
understand. He stood up for Nigeria’s dignity in the wake of those who would
traduce their country and reduce it to the status of a colony in their vain
quest for power,” the statement read.
“The video of his comments is in
circulation. Any fair-minded person with modest familiarity with the English
language and unimpaired comprehension can understand it. It does not contain
any call for violence. What it is a powerful defence of sovereignty. Are some
sections of our political class implying that they will acquiesce in or
collaborate with foreign intervention in our country?”
El-Rufai said he never called for
violence but warned of the consequences of undue interference.
“Affirming that a country will
defend itself against needless intervention is the kind of statement you expect
to hear from a patriot. It is not a call for violence. Warning about the
consequences of meddling in another country’s affairs is legitimate,” he
said.”Malam Nasir El-Rufai has issued a powerful call for vigilance and a clear
notice that other countries should not mistake the supine posture of the opposition
for national weakness.
“El-Rufai has stood firmly
against those who have been trying to divide Nigerians on ethnic and religious
lines. He is resolutely opposed to violence, and firmly committed to peace and
harmony.”
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Whoever this spikes man is, he must be very foolish. Whose dignity was your boss defending? And how has the EU’s elections observers demonstrated that they intend to reduce a whole Nigeria to the status of a colony? You can tell this to the almajiris you keep uneducated for times like this, not to learned people.
ReplyDeleteIt’s a shame that you welcomed them during the PDP era and now you’d rather they stay away. The same way PDP lost out, your turn will come.
You’ve done nothing to better the lives of your people than to oppress them.
What a shame!
So defending the dignity of Nigeria requires threat to life. APC govt we hail thy
ReplyDelete