By Austine Agbo Emmanuel, Kaduna
Southern Kaduna People’s United-Association (SOKAPU) has taken a swipe at former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, describing him as a man in urgent need of help following his recent comments on Channels Television.
In a rejoinder signed by its National President, Engr. Tabara Samuel Kato, and made available to journalists in Kaduna, SOKAPU accused the former governor of consistently spreading falsehoods against the people of Southern Kaduna while carrying out policies that promoted division, repression, and dispossession during his eight-year rule.
The statement recalled that former President Olusegun Obasanjo once said he appointed El-Rufai as FCT Minister because he was “looking for a mad man filled with annoyance” to handle the assignment. SOKAPU said Obasanjo’s remark had become more revealing in light of El-Rufai’s “penchant for lies, propaganda, and anti-people policies.”
According to the group, El-Rufai’s administration allegedly punished Southern Kaduna through the humiliation of traditional rulers, renaming of chiefdoms, abolition of districts, seizure of local government funds, and systematic exclusion of the zone from state patronage.
On the issue of population, SOKAPU faulted El-Rufai’s claim on Channels Television that Southern Kaduna represents less than 25 percent of the state’s population. Citing verified data, the union said figures from the National Population Commission and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) contradict the former governor’s position.
“INEC’s 2023 register shows Kaduna State with 4.335 million voters, out of which Southern Kaduna’s 12 local government areas contributed 1.895 million voters, representing 43.7 percent,” the statement noted.
The group also berated El-Rufai for allegedly admitting to tracing armed killers of Southern Kaduna residents to neighbouring countries and compensating them with state funds. SOKAPU described such action as the “worst diplomatic misadventure in Nigeria’s history,” accusing him of either lying to divert public funds or empowering the killers to acquire more weapons.
On land issues, the statement reaffirmed the people’s resolve to resist any attempt by state or federal authorities to seize Southern Kaduna land under any guise. “There is no land without owners anywhere in the world, especially in Southern Kaduna. Any effort to donate our land to strangers shall be resisted,” Kato warned.
SOKAPU concluded by urging the Nigerian media to exercise caution in featuring the former governor, insisting that his “lies and propaganda add no value to public discourse.”
“Mallam El-Rufai’s actions reveal a man of no character, despite his much-vaunted first-class degree. His utterances and behaviour lend credence to Obasanjo’s description of him as a man in need of urgent help,” the statement added.
