The Northern Nigeria Minorities Group (NNMG)  has condemned what it calls “the reckless allegation by former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, suggesting that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu intends to extend his tenure beyond the constitutionally guaranteed eight years”.

In a statement signed by the Convener of the group, Chief Jacob Edi, it noted that the former governor of Kaduna state “is talking simply out of malice, pure bitterness, recklessness, frustration and an affront to democracy.

“A critical analysis of the former governor’s political trajectory shows a character trait of a man at war with himself. El-Rufai’s Real Problem is Bitterness, Not Principle – We ask a simple question: if El-Rufai had been appointed into President Tinubu’s ministerial team, would he still be making these wild allegations?
Everyone knows the answer. His rant is nothing more than sour grapes from a man who feels sidelined and irrelevant” he said.

Recalling what it termed El Rufai’s “Pattern of Treachery” the Northern Minorities Group said “from his days in government to his endless political scheming, El-Rufai has shown himself as a man addicted to
betrayal and blackmail. He thrives on heating up the polity with lies when his personal ambitions are not served.

It noted that the “Constitution Cannot Be Blackmailed .  Nigeria’s 1999 Constitution is crystal clear on the tenure of a President. No amount of El-Rufai’s propaganda can alter that reality. His attempt to drag the country into a needless fear-mongering is both treacherous and dangerous”.

The group described the former governor of Kaduna state as an “Enemy of Stability” who has positioned himself as destabilising agent.

“At a time when Nigeria needs unity, focus, and healing, El-Rufai has once again positioned himself as a destabilizing agent. His words are not those of a statesman but of a bitter man desperate to remain in the headlines.

“We therefore declare as follows: That Nasir El-Rufai should retract his lies and tender an apology to
Nigerians for deliberately trying to poison the political atmosphere; that, Nigerians must treat his words with contempt, recognizing them as nothing more than the wailings of a rejected politician; That, Security agencies should place individuals like El-Rufai under strict watch, as their reckless statements are capable of sparking 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 a conspiracy of political elite group of profiteers: it noted.