THE Southern Kaduna Youth and Students Forum has petitioned the Nigerian Senate, calling on it to confirm Ex Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as a ministerial nominee.
The group filed this petition to the National Assembly on Friday.
The Former Kaduna state Governor is one of the names on President Bola Tinubu’s ministerial list presently being screened by the upper chamber of the house.
The petition of the Forum against El Rufai bordered on extremism in the part of the former Governor, among other reasons.
The National President of the Forum, Shedrack Danladi, wrote the petition seeking the National Assembly to prevent El Rufai from serving as a Minister.
The forum titled their petition: “A petition against the Nomination of Mal. Nasiru El- Rufai By President Bola Ahmed Tinubu For Senate Confirmation As A Minister Of The Federal Republic Of Nigeria.”
The petition read in part: “El-Rufai is an Ethno-Religious bigot, particularly against the people of Southern Kaduna. Such a character should not be given another opportunity to serve Nigeria in any capacity, particularly our Nigeria of today.”
“At this particular point in our history as a nation, Nigeria is in dire need of leaders who will demonstrate and promote compassion, empathy, inclusiveness, justice, fairness, and unity, not the reverse,” the petition continued.
“The immediate past governor of Kaduna State should not be considered because he will do more harm to Nigeria than good. During his eight years of rule in Kaduna, many lives and properties were lost in Southern Kaduna to persistent attacks without remorse from the El-Rufai’s government.
“His inflammatory statements captured on that viral video alone should propel the Senate not to confirm his nomination because like in Kaduna State, he will surely repeat the same at the National level which will not be healthy for us as a Nation,” the letter to the National Assembly read in part.
Going further, the Forum reminded tbe Senate of the actions of El Rufai while serving as Governor of Kaduna state and warned that a repeat of his divisive act will not be tolerated on a larger scale.
“Kaduna state is yet to recover from El-Rufai’s religious bigotry, extremism, and intolerance legacies, Nigeria should not be his next victim.
“For this, we call on you to be critical in your screening of all nominees. But more particularly, we strongly advise against the endorsement of Nasir el Rufai as a Minister of the Federal Republic. Prioritise the good of Nigeria over everything else in this screening process,” the Forum pointed out.