Segun Awofadeji in Bauchi
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State and loyalist of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Khamis Musa Darazo, has said that the governance style of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasiru El-Rufai, affected people across the state (Kaduna) and was not limited to Southern Kaduna.
Darazo clarified while speaking with journalists at the weekend in Bauchi, against what he described as attempts by some commentators to give a sectional or religious interpretation to recent remarks made by the Minister of Defence, Christopher Musa, during an interview on Channels Television.
He said the minister’s reference to the experiences of “our people” should be understood in the broader context of Kaduna State, rather than being interpreted as a reference exclusively to Southern Kaduna.
According to him, “The reality is that the grievances surrounding El-Rufai’s style of administration were felt across Kaduna State and not exclusively by the people of Southern Kaduna.”
Darazo maintained that General Musa did not criticise El-Rufai based on religion, describing such an interpretation as misplaced.
“The minister did not call out Nasiru El-Rufai because he is a Muslim. That interpretation is completely misplaced.
“President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani are both Muslims, yet both have continued to demonstrate efforts toward reducing division and promoting unity,” he said.
The APC chieftain urged Nigerians to avoid turning the issue into a religious or regional confrontation, stressing that he would not support any attempt to exploit the matter to deepen divisions.
“As a loyalist of President Tinubu and someone who believes strongly in national unity, I will not support attempts to turn this matter into a religious or regional confrontation,” he stated.
Darazo further explained that the expression of “Our people” should be understood as referring to the people of Kaduna State as a whole.
“Our people can never mean only Southern Kaduna. It means the people of Kaduna State as a whole.
“Different communities experienced different challenges, and it is unfair to erase the experiences of others by presenting the matter as though it concerned only one section of the state,” he said.
He, therefore, urged Nigerians to consider the minister’s comments within their proper context and focus on the substance of the concerns raised, rather than what he described as deliberate attempts to twist the statement into a religious or sectional narrative.
According to him, the priority should be responsible leadership capable of promoting peace, justice, unity and security across the country.
“Kaduna belongs to all its people, and no community should be made to feel that its experience does not matter,” Darazo added.