The Youth Wing of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) asserts that it is responsible for the petition that thwarted the ministerial appointment of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
A statement issued by the group’s National Coordinator, Comrade Solomon Simon, outlined their petition to the National Assembly, which was also copied to relevant agencies, citing reasons why El-Rufai is unfit for public office.
The petition alleged human rights violations, disregard for court orders, abuse of civil service rules, and suppression of press freedom during his tenure as governor.
According to the group, this evidence led to the Senate’s decision to withhold his confirmation, which they characterized as the root of El-Rufai’s “anger and hostility” toward Southern Kaduna.
Additionally, they accused him of anticipating that President Tinubu would marginalize Christians nationwide, similar to his alleged discriminatory policies against Christians in Kaduna.
According to the statement, Southern Kaduna has instead benefited from the current administration with major projects, including the University of Applied Sciences and a Federal Medical Centre.
The group argued that this progress explains El-Rufai’s recent criticism of their people in a national television interview.
The youths criticized his comments characterizing Southern Kaduna as violent, entitled, and dominated by the civil service, pointing out that such remarks were divisive and prejudiced.
They urged him to retract his statements and apologize, emphasizing that Kaduna belongs equally to Christians and Muslims, Hausa and non-Hausa alike.
SOKAPU maintained that the people of Southern Kaduna remain committed to peace, unity, and national development, and would not be distracted by reckless speech or attempts to misrepresent them.
