The Northern Nigeria Minorities Group (NNMG) has launched a scathing attack on former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, over his recent claim that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu intends to extend his tenure beyond the constitutionally allowed two terms.
In a statement issued in Abuja and signed by Chief Jacob Edi, Kakaki Bassa-Nge and Convener of the group, NNMG dismissed El-Rufai’s allegation as “reckless, malicious and capable of unsettling the polity.”
The group argued that the former Governor’s comments were driven more by personal grievances than principle. “If El-Rufai had been appointed into President Tinubu’s ministerial team, would he still be making these wild allegations? Everyone knows the answer,” the statement read, describing his remarks as the “wailings of a rejected politician.”
NNMG accused El-Rufai of having “a pattern of political scheming” and of resorting to blackmail whenever his ambitions were not fulfilled. It stressed that the 1999 Constitution is clear on Presidential tenure and cannot be altered by propaganda.
“At a time when Nigeria needs unity, focus and healing, his words are not those of a statesman but of a man desperate to remain in the headlines,” the statement continued.
The group therefore called on El-Rufai to retract his remarks and apologise to Nigerians, urging citizens to treat his claims with contempt. It also appealed to security agencies to closely monitor individuals whose utterances could incite unnecessary tension.
“The minorities of Northern Nigeria will resist any attempt, whether by tenure elongation or by bitter politicians sowing confusion, to derail our democracy. Nigeria’s future is too important to be held hostage by one man’s bitterness or by a conspiracy of profiteers,” the statement concluded.
