Social activist and former federal lawmaker, Shehu Sani, has described former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rifa’i as a poisonous knife, saying President Bola Tinubu was wise for not appointing him among his frontline aides.
Sani, who mocked the immediate past Kaduna governor, described him as a divisive political leader who “always exploits the religious difference for personal gains”.
El-Rufa’i had recently incurred the wrath of many Nigerians who condemned his recent utterances on his decision to run a Muslim/Muslim Governorship ticket in Kaduna State.
He had also boasted that Muslim dominance motivated him to deny Christians a deputy governorship office. He also claimed that the same Muslim dominance brought the controversial Muslim/Muslim ticket to power at federal level.
SaharaReporters on June 5, 2023 reported that El-Rufa’i was caught in a video saying the Muslim/Muslim governorship ticket in the state would be sustained beyond 20 years, “by the grace of God.”
The Muslim/Muslim governorship ticket means having a Muslim governor and a Muslim deputy governor as against the belief in some quarters that a Muslim governor should be supported by a Christian deputy governor to be religious sensitive as Southern Kaduna is dominated by Christians.
In the viral video, El-Rufa’i was addressing a group of Islamic scholars.
While mocking El-Rufa’i on his verified Twitter handle, Sani said “If Tinubu had appointed ‘Mr Over Sabi’ as SGF or Chief of Staff, he would have sown the seed of discord between the President and the Vice President, speak and move around as more important than the two. Tinubu has dodged a Poisonous knife.
“The unity of this country will remain a myth and an illusion as long as the system condones fanatical leaders who will always exploit the religious differences, fervour and sensibilities of our people for their own personal political expedience.”
