By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
The Youth Wing of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (YW-SOKAPU) has accused former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, of expecting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to replicate his alleged discriminatory treatment of Christians in Southern Kaduna at the national level.
In a statement signed by its National Coordinator, Comrade Solomon Simon, the group said El-Rufai believed Tinubu would sideline Christians after emerging president on a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
“True to his divisive mindset, and consistent with his discriminatory treatment of Christians in Southern Kaduna, El-Rufai expected President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to marginalize Christians across Nigeria. To his utmost disappointment, the reverse has been the case,” the statement read.
According to the group, Southern Kaduna has become a major beneficiary of the Tinubu administration with landmark projects such as the University of Applied Sciences, a Federal Medical Centre, and other initiatives.
The youths said this progress has fueled El-Rufai’s anger, adding that his recent “tirades” stem from bitterness rather than truth or justice.
“It is disappointing that instead of promoting harmony and mutual respect, El-Rufai chose the path of division and prejudice. Leadership demands responsibility; words carry weight and must be used to unite, not divide,” the group stated.
YW-SOKAPU called on El-Rufai to retract his “offensive statements” and apologise to the people of Southern Kaduna. They stressed that the region remains committed to nation-building and would not be distracted by attempts to cast it in a negative light.
The group recalled that the former governor, in a recent television interview, described Southern Kaduna people as violent, entitled, and less than 25 percent of the state’s population. He allegedly likened them to the Shiite Islamic Movement and accused them of dominating the civil service, rigging elections through the PDP, and exhibiting “nonsense behaviour.”
According to the youths, El-Rufai also admitted to sacking civil servants from the area and claimed indifference to their grievances.
They described his remarks as “half-truths and deception,” warning Nigerians not to take them at face value.
The statement also referenced a leaked video in which El-Rufai allegedly boasted about being the architect of the Muslim-Muslim ticket and predicted another Muslim-Muslim presidency after Tinubu.
“Kaduna belongs to all its citizens equally—Christians and Muslims, Hausa and non-Hausa alike. El-Rufai’s words may stir controversy, but they cannot erase the truth,” the group maintained.
