The recent adoption of Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai for second term in 2019 by some members of the All Progressives Congress,APC has been described as ‘misguided.’ The Kaduna Restoration Group said made the assertion in a statement Tuesday.
Reacting to the endorsement the group said “We are also aware of the desperation of the governor and his cronies who have clearly seen that despite their hollow propaganda to project their so called candidate as the best thing to have happened to Kaduna State in recent times, have realized that the masses of Kaduna State and other teeming stakeholders have come to understand that the governor is simply unsellable and unelectable in 2019.”
A statement by the group emailed to Newsdiaryonline was signed by Alhaji (DR) Ahmed Tijjani Ramalan Chairman Yusuf Dankofa (Professor of Law) Secretary.It described the endorsement as the handiwork of political jobbers.
According Restoration group, “the said political jobbers who are themselves political liabilities with zero electoral value decided to adopt this ‘black market’ approach to clear the coast for their benefactor, which is an antithesis to all known democratic ethos that embodies fair contest and choices for the people.”
The opposition group’s statement reads thus: “It has come to the notice of THE KADUNA RESTORATION GROUP that a group of misguided and selected members of the Kaduna State APC Stakeholders have purportedly given the Governor of Kaduna State on behalf of the Party an endorsement to be the sole candidate for the 2019 gubernatorial elections.
“We are also aware of the desperation of the governor and his cronies who have clearly seen that despite their hollow propaganda to project their so called candidate as the best thing to have happened to Kaduna State in recent times, have realized that the masses of Kaduna State and other teeming stakeholders have come to understand that the governor is simply unsellable and unelectable in 2019.
“It is based upon the above background that the said political jobbers who are themselves political liabilities with zero electoral value decided to adopt this ‘black market’ approach to clear the coast for their benefactor, which is an antithesis to all known democratic ethos that embodies fair contest and choices for the people.
“When we warned the governor to depart from all his anti people’s policies which have dispossessed the hapless people of the State of the little democratic gains that has accrued to them from previous administrations, the government rather than introspect over this articulation went on a journey of invectives against our respected members, canvassing the very poor and lame arguments that we are looking for appointments as if their government will last forever. Besides, who needs an appointment from “Mr. Know it all” who does not brook alternative thinking, having come with an illusionary mindset of caging Kaduna State, by fostering on her a foreign hegemony that is totally at variance with the traditions, roots and contemporary aspirations of the good people of Kaduna State. After spending close to three years, our governor has dissipated more energy in fighting and abusing perceived enemies, commissioned Zaria water works that has not been completed and also one Olam feeds that will take another 3 years to complete its infrastructure, amongst other white elephants and multitudes of incomplete and abandoned projects. No wonder the banters in the political space, that in States like Adamawa there is work, while in Kaduna, there is noise is fast becoming a trend in social media. We knew that this game of the ostrich will not last forever. The Government of Kaduna State has now suddenly rediscover that indeed, it has not only boxed itself into a corner, it has alienated and antagonized virtually all the key segments of the State that brought it to power.
“The APC stakeholders, the labour unions, traditional institutions, bureaucrats, school teachers, politicians and the masses have all patiently borne the brunt of the misrule and intellectual arrogance of this administration as exemplified by the Governor. The careless talks, the intemperate and flippant narratives and the lies and deceits that are the hallmarks of its own evaluation of its activities, the unjust dispossession of the poor civil servants of government apartments for the benefits of imported cronies which of course has pitched everyone against this government are serious attestations that the Talakawas are awaiting 2019 patiently to vote out this excessively Machiavellian and cunning administration.
“Little wonder, that the government has packaged this coterie of carefully selected and unsuspecting APC members who were induced to make the above declarations. But we all can see through the wool. The entire scenario is akin to the voice of Jacob and the hands of Esau, we knew it will come to this. We are fully aware that the desperations are just emerging and as events unfold, this government will clearly adopt further mischief to advance this nefarious project. It is pertinent to note that it is this same kind of impunity and lack of respect for internal party democracy that led to the implosion of the PDP. When Professor Itse Sagay declared recently that the APC leadership is bankrupt intellectually and confused ideologically, he didn’t know that we of the Restoration Group had already posited that truism as far as that of Kaduna State is concerned. Infact the APC in Kaduna is a triumvirate of APC government house, APC Akida and APC Restoration; this is largely due to nepotism and lack of inclusiveness of the Governor. When internal party democracy is not the norm and selfish political interest that violates balance of power between the government and the governed is the order of the day, the end result will be political fragmentation as evidenced in what has happened in Kaduna State.
“Maybe the governor is under the illusion that Kaduna State is an extension of El-Rufa’i and Partners. If he feels that way, then he can be excused, after all he has spend most of his adult life outside Kaduna and may not have a proper understanding of the present political permutations and variables that makes Kaduna State the hotbed of political radicalism in Nigeria. Kaduna State is the home of intellectuals both radical and contemporary; it is the base of liberal scholarship and constructive (not conservative) traditional leadership that sways opinion alongside its religious proclivity and disposition. It is the home of the leftist elites and a vibrant well schooled young generation. It is the home of an enlightened class of artisans and agrarian population. Kaduna State is a mix, a potpourri, a collection and a medley of the best, the high and the mighty under the supervision of the Almighty Creator and it is nothing but a laughable foolhardiness for a collection of political opportunists to want to lord it over the good people of Kaduna State. The governor and his henchmen knew that the die is cast, but they have themselves to blame. When they were demolishing the houses of the poor and left them in the pool of their agony under a heavy rainstorm in Zaria, without alternatives, they were boasting. When we told them that it is unlawful to issue 3 weeks quit notice on hapless end users of houses and that 6 months is the rule, they were behaving as if tomorrow will never come. When they were sacking local government workers, school teachers and others en mass because of what they dubbed as lack of capacity instead of training them, they felt as if they were not going to be accountable to the people. Now that the chicken is finally coming home to roost, they are busy visiting mosques, churches, synagogues and all sorts of marabouts. In their desperations, they assembled people who themselves are soon going to face opposition in party congresses and primaries to endorse them without a contest. How are the mighty fallen. APC, a party that is mass based is the one canvassing for sole candidacy today. Those who criticized PDP over these undemocratic ideals are the ones sponsoring it for their own selfish interests. However, we wish to remind ourselves that the Governor is the greatest beneficiary of all the legacies of PDP from Kaduna State and its contraption that is now reflecting in Kaduna State chapter of the APC. Little wonder, they are afraid of fair contest even though it parades itself as the best government the state has ever had. The State government knew that she has for the past three years been reeling out farce as achievements. All the funds that had accrued to this government from federal allocation, internally generated revenues, bailout funds, Paris Club refunds have been wasted on patronage and propaganda such that what is on ground do not justify the billions that came into government coffers within the last two years. They know that Kaduna State people will demand for accounts and since there will be no convincing response to that, the best option for them is to allow them advertise a bad merchandise, hence this dubious declaration by their puppets. The Kaduna Restoration Group is a movement that is steeped in democracy and therefore respect the wish of all including the governor to his democratic choice to stand in a free and fair elections both at the party primaries or general elections but shall never be a party to ‘electoral monkey tricks and shenanigans. It is on this basis that we condemn this very unpatriotic, selfishly patronizing and self serving posture of the declarants. No amount of white wash or media propaganda of a few protagonists can change the resolve of the masses and mainstream politicians whose interests is that of the larger society from sending this government where it belongs; the dungeon of history.
“We are by this release appealing to the electorate both at party and general level to remain unperturbed but steadfast. The Governor in his desperate attempt to hoodwink the party and the general populace having suddenly realized the dismal failures of his government policies and programs which have been largely antiparty, anti people and which lack human face. He is now flying the kite of self acclaimed endorsement by Mr. President. We have every confidence that Mr. President will never do anything in violation of the Nigerian Constitution, Electoral Act and the APC Constitution.
“The Governor seems to be deluding himself forgetting about political precedence, whence, incumbent in the Fourth Republic in the likes of Clement Isong of NPN, Cross River State; Abubakar Rimi of PRP, Kano State; Adamu Attah of NPN, Kwara State and in the most recent past Idris Wada of PDP, Kogi State, back home here in Kaduna State Ramalan Yero of PDP that the Governor unseated and of course Goodluck/Namadi failed ticket. It is therefore our position that the comedy being canvassed by these political puppets stands condemned and should be seen for what it is a political harakiri. Our advise to the governor is that he should use the rest of his term to complete some of the projects lying fallow per adventure history may be kind to him that he at least has some little infrastructure to his name. He should endeavor to enthrone good governance, transparency and respect for the rule of law as hallmark of his government. This we hope may stem the tide of the unfolding shenanigans as envisioned by the series of court cases and petitions that have emblazoned the activities of governance in the state. We are aware of the deluge of petitions on various acts of misappropriations, money laundering, financial mismanagement against top officials of the administration. We hope and pray that the Governor who needs our prayers to save himself from self destruct would retract his steps to restore his government and reposition the APC before it is too late. As for the bootlickers may we also advise them that they should further their understanding about the nuances of democracy, it is only when they do that they may become legitimate torchbearers of our democratic ideals.”
