ENUGU, Nigeria (VOICE OF NAIJA)- Pro-democracy group, Transparency and Accountability Network TAN, on Friday asked the National Security Adviser NSA, Malam Nuhu Ribadu to call the former Governor of Kaduna state, Malam Nasir El-Rufai to order, following the comments that the group deemed inciting.
TAN in a statement issued in Abuja, stated that it decided to speak on the matter which is of urgency, saying that it is beginning to threaten the peace and stability of Kaduna State, according to Vanguard.
El-Rufai apart from accusing his successor, Governor Uba Sani of collecting billions from the federal government and hiding the information from the people of the state, also likened the President Bola Tinubu administration to a military junta, in a recent conference on democracy.
“For those of us who lived under military rule, we know what it is. We don’t want military rule, but we also don’t want civilians behaving like the military in their babanriga and suits,” El-Rufai had said.
TAN national coordinator, Michael Briggs, in his reaction noted that such statements must be nipped in the bud.
“If not nipped in the bud, this issue has the potential to escalate and spread to other parts of the North, and possibly beyond”, he said.
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He said that TAN is concerned at the dark clouds gathering over Kaduna State, adding that “the fragile peace that has begun to take root in the state is under threat, and we cannot afford to stand idly by as shadows of chaos loom on the horizon.
“Recent developments involving former Governor Nasir El-Rufai and some state actors have sparked alarm bells across the nation”.
According to TAN, el-Rufai’s comments and actions suggest a far more sinister agenda as they are capable of fanning the embers of discord and reignite the flames of political discord in the state.
“This is not merely a rumour; the rumour further reinforces the echo of his recent comments, as he advised the opposition to mobilise against his party, the ruling APC, ahead of 2027.
“Kaduna State, a land once vibrant with the promise of unity and progress, has been scarred by the relentless storms of violence and division.
“The people of Kaduna have endured enough, enough bloodshed, enough tears, and enough despair. The relative calm that now blankets the state is like a delicate sapling, struggling to grow in soil still poisoned by the remnants of conflict.
“We cannot allow this sapling to be uprooted by the reckless hands of those who seek to exploit chaos for their own ends.
“TAN stands firmly against any attempt to plunge Kaduna back into the abyss of turmoil. We call on the National Security Adviser NSA to act swiftly and decisively.
“The allegations surrounding El-Rufai’s activities must be investigated with the urgency of a firefighter rushing to extinguish a blaze before it consumes everything in its path.
“The seeds of discord must be uprooted before they take root and spread their toxic vines across the state”, the group added.