Worried over the controversial utterances of the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai while addressing a group of Islamic clerics where he disclosed alleged plot to islamise the nation, Catholic Diocesan Priests Association (NCDPA), of Kaduna, Zaria and Kafanchan dioceses have have issued a protest letter to the Governor of Kaduna State, Uba Sani and copied President Tinubu urging them to call the former Kaduna State governor to order.
The letter which was jointly signed by NCDPA Chairman of Kaduna, Kafanchan and Zaria dioceses, Rev. Fr. Joseph Gandu, Very Rev. Fr. Douglas Rock and Very Rev. Fr. Samuel Ameh, respectively, described those comments as one that can objectively amount to a divisive, bigoted, hateful and completely unstatesmanlike declaration of Islamic political supremacy in Kaduna State and Nigeria and challenged Governor Sani of Kaduna to make his official position on El-rufai’s inciting utterances known because because according to the Christian Clerics, he (Sani) was at the event where El-rufai made the controversial statement.
Against the backdrop of these controversies, the Catholic Clerics according to the letter, called on President Bola Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani to call the former governor to order before he sets the entire country into a religious crisis.
“With consternation and utter disillusionment, we watched the now viral video clip in which the former governor, Nasir el-Rufai, while addressing a group of Islamic clerics with you sitting by his side, made comments that objectively amount to a divisive, bigoted, hateful and completely unstatesmanlike declaration of Islamic political supremacy in Kaduna State and Nigeria.”
“Having soberly considered the contents and implications of such communication by a former governor, who is known to be your close ally, we feel compelled to write you, to know where you stand with regards to the commotion Mallam el-Rufai intends to propagate and perpetuate in our state.”
However, the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has faulted call by Kaduna State Chapter Chairman of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Joseph Hayab, to Nigerians to ignore El-Rufai in his supposed journey for relevance.
The Muslim Rights group argued that the Christian body missed the point by accusing the ex-governor of Islamisation.
In a statement by the Executive Director, Prof. Ishaq Akintola, said: “On the contrary, however, we assert clearly, emphatically and unequivocally that what happened during the elections in Kaduna was the actualisation of core democratic principles. CAN missed the point by accusing the former governor of Islamisation.”
Citing America where there is a predominant Christian population and pockets of Muslim communities, MURIC maintained that no sane American Muslim can accuse President Joe Biden of Christianisation, simply because both himself and his vice are Christians.
Same thing, according to the group, applies to countries like Britain, France and Germany, noting that Muslims in these nations cannot accuse them of Christianisation.
Charging Hayab to learn from these countries, Akintola submitted: “We reiterate that the Muslim-Muslim ticket, which came into effect during the elections in Kaduna in 2019 and 2023, was the actualisation of core democratic principles.”
MURIC, therefore, asked Rev. Hayab to apologise to El-Rufai for the ‘accusation’.