By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
Southern Kaduna and Middle Belt groups have strongly criticised former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, accusing him of promoting hate speech and practicing vendetta politics during his eight years in power.
The Southern Kaduna Awake Group and the Middle Belt Forum, Kaduna chapter, reacted to El-Rufai’s recent appearance on Channels Television’s One-on-One with Seun, where he described Southern Kaduna people as violent and representing less than 25 per cent of the state’s population.
Speaking at a press conference in Kaduna, the National Youth Leader of the Middle Belt Youth Forum, Comrade Nasiru Jagaba, alleged that El-Rufai’s bitterness was tied to the Senate’s rejection of his ministerial nomination last year following petitions from Southern Kaduna. He recalled that the former governor’s years in office were marked by mass sackings of civil servants, expansion of grazing reserves at the expense of indigenous landowners, and repeated failure to protect communities from attacks.
The groups also condemned El-Rufai’s comparison of Southern Kaduna with the Shiite Islamic Movement led by Sheikh Ibrahim El-Zakzaky, describing it as a reckless attempt to criminalise an entire population. They stressed that contrary to his claims, President Bola Tinubu’s administration had already sited major projects in Southern Kaduna, including the University of Applied Sciences and a Federal Medical Centre.
Publisher of Gurara Accord, Bomba Dauda, echoed similar concerns, saying El-Rufai had lost political relevance and was using Southern Kaduna as a scapegoat to remain in the spotlight. He argued that El-Rufai’s administration thrived on division and undemocratic practices, often exploiting religion to gain political advantage, but insisted such tactics no longer resonate.
Dauda urged Nigerians to hold the former governor accountable for what he described as dangerous narratives capable of pitching communities against one another.
