Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom has called out his Kaduna State counterpart Nasir el-Rufai describing him as a religious bigot who is one of Nigeria’s true enemies.
Ortom also asserted that the Benue Governor was one of the few people who deceive President Muhammadu Buhari.
He went further to argue that the governor of Kaduna state was a flatterer, an ethnic champion, and a religious fanatic who hated anyone who did not share the same faith with him.
In a statement at the weekend in Makurdi by his chief press secretary, CPS, Terver Akase, the governor who reacting to a statement credited to the governor of the state of Kaduna that alleged that Governor Ortom was attacking the federal government for the insecurity in their state to cover his failures in governance.
The governor of Kaduna made the statement while responding to a video showing Governor Ortom addressing protesters after some killings in Benue state. The video was played during a webinar organized by the Africa Leadership Group.
El-Rufai was quoted as saying: ‘I did not hear what Governor Ortom said (in the video) but I do know him and, frankly, he is not someone I take very seriously. He has other governance problems that he is using the federal government as a punching bag to distract attention from his failures.’
But in a swift reaction, Governor Ortom through his CPS said: ‘We read the statement credited to Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, in which he accused Governor Samuel Ortom of using insecurity in his state to attack to the federal government in order to cover up what it called the failure of the governor of the state of Benue.
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‘We want to believe that El-Rufai was misquoted. A man who has failed in various respects as governor of Kaduna has no moral justification to impeach another governor.
‘A governor who elected a Muslim deputy in a state where Christians have a large population is certainly not someone who preaches unity and peaceful coexistence.”
“El-Rufai’s attack on Governor Ortom is simply to make him look good to the Presidency. Apparently, he has fallen from grace in the Village and wants to use Governor Ortom as a launching pad to return to the reckoning.
‘How have you handled your own problems in Kaduna? This is a man who has insulted almost all prominent Nigerians, including the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and former President Olusegun Obasanjo; a man who is his former boss and who brought him to the spotlight.
‘Nigerians have not forgotten the unprintable things that El-Rufai said during Goodluck Jonathan’s time as president. He insulted the then-president.
‘His statements about the Chibok girl abduction and various other acts of terrorism are still fresh in our minds. El-Rufai is known to have repeatedly said that the Fulani people must retaliate for any harm done to them no matter how long it takes.
‘Is Governor Ortom responsible for El-Rufai’s inability to guarantee peace in Kaduna state, where bandits have taken over some communities while kidnappings and killings take place on a daily basis?
‘That is why he wants men of good conscience like Governor Ortom to keep silent to pave the way for the agenda of conquest and expansion to be successful.
‘Kidnapping has become a common crime in the Kaduna state under Nasir el-Rufai. Aside from the highly celebrated cases, it has been estimated that at any given time, no less than 300 people are abducted in Kaduna by kidnappers who are always identified as relatives of El-Rufai.
‘Kaduna, ruled by El-Rufai, is one of the most unsafe places to live in Nigeria today.’
Continuing the statement, it read, ‘speaking of taking someone seriously if other Nigerians take El-Rufai seriously, we in Benue don’t do the same. A man who has no respect for humanity does not deserve our attention.
‘Nasir el-Rufai is one of the few people who have deceived President Muhammadu Buhari.
‘El-Rufai is one of the true enemies of this country who does not hide its divisive tendencies by elevating nepotism and ethnicity above the good values that have held Nigeria together for decades.
‘Nasir el-Rufai does not have the credentials to advise anyone on the payment of wages and the welfare of the workers. This is a governor who recently laid off 4,000 workers without just cause. He should be ashamed of himself. What happened to the noble promises you made to the Kaduna people in 2015?
‘The Governor of Kaduna should know that just two days ago, the people of Benue State gathered at a stakeholder meeting in Makurdi and unanimously passed a vote of confidence to Governor Ortom in recognition of his performance. That meeting was attended across party lines with leaders of the Congress of All Progressives, APC also present.
‘El-Rufai must keep in mind that the state of Benue will not repeal the Prohibition of Open Grazing and Establishment of Ranches Act regardless of the amount of blackmail, hatred and threats they make against Governor Ortom.
‘We advise the Governor of Kaduna State to focus on addressing the many problems in his state and let Governor Ortom lead Benue in peace,’ the statement concluded.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK