2015: Jonathan is manipulating, dividing Nigeria - Nasir el-Rufai declares
The former Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT) and Deputy National Secretary of All Progressives Congress (APC), Malam Nasir El- Rufai at the weekend accused President Goodluck Jonathan of introducing religion and ethnicity which encouraged division in the country to actualize his ambition in 2015.
Speaking as the Guest of the Week on Liberty FM radio, Malam El-Rufai condemned President Jonathan administration saying it is unfortunate that a leader from a minority ethnic group could embark on such a divide and rule tactics.
On Crude Oil theft in the country, Malam El- Rufai blamed Jonathan for seeking intervention of the US stressing that the president knows those stealing the crude oil.
' President Jonathan knows what they are doing with the money, they are preparing for war and Nigeria will defeat them.'
El-Rufai averred that bad leadership in Kaduna State had denied the state the opportunity of being the beacon of the North.
His words: 'Unfortunately, Jonathan's political handlers thought that if they introduce religion they will be able to divide the north and take the christian part of the North to vote for Jonathan. And if they introduce ethnicity, they will get the whole of the South. That's their winning strategy and now they are surprised that after dividing the country they are finding it difficult to get the cooperation of everyone.'
He continued 'The danger of division is that you deplete social trust which makes it very difficult for you to cover and they are still playing this games. Now if Jonathan is from the minority, how did he get elected? Was he elected by his minority groups or by other Nigerians?
Because if we all decided to be ethnic, Jonathan cannot even win election outside Bayelsa State, because, apart from Bayelsa , there is no other place where the Ijaws are not a minority in Nigeria. So when people like Edwin Clark, Jonathan play the ethnic and religious cards, I just look at them because it is not going to work. The moment anyone resorts to ethnicity and religion, it's because he doesn't have a better ground. If you are performing and doing the work of the people why do you need to resort to that?'
The former minister of the FCT, continued, ' It is really wrong and one of the tragedies of the Jonathan leadership that whoever inherits the leadership of Nigeria will have to spend the first or second year repairing the trust and relationship between the various ethnic and religious groups.
Everything under Jonathan administration has been reduced to these two things which is unfortunate. Because politics is not about religion neither is it about ethnicity.'
El.Rufai however added 'There are many dangers confronting the Nigerian nation. What is worrying is the kind of rhetoric coming out. Whenever Asari Dokubo and Clark speaks, just know that a week earlier they had been called to the Villa. How can a small ethnic group like the Ijaws threaten Nigeria and the government is keeping mute over it ? And the expected reaction is that you'll also have people from the North issuing a similar threat.
Speaking on the performance and democratic dividends in Kaduna State, he said, 'we've not had leadership in Kaduna State since Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi left office as Governor. I know Governor Makarfi performed well in the state in terms of peace and infrastructures put in place. Since he left, Namadi Sambo as a Governor was a disaster. He wasted the resources of the state and the state acquired debt that late Governor Yakowa complained to me about before his death.'