Kaduna State
Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, on Tuesday cleared the air on the emergence of Dr.
Hadiza Balarabe, a fellow Muslim, as his running mate for the 2019 governorship
election in the state.
The
governor, who received in audience the people of Sanga Local Government Area
who were at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna, on a thank-you
visit for picking their daughter, said the choice of his running mate was based
on competence and performance.
He explained
that under his administration, there was no room for religious or sentiments in
deciding who to appoint into any office in the state.
“Muslim-Muslim
ticket is not a religious ticket but a competent and performance ticket,” the
governor said.
El-Rufai had
told critics of the Muslim-Muslim ticket that the Government House was not a
place for worship but where people work.
The governor
added that most of his Muslim-Muslim ticket critics were those who did not vote
for him in the 2015 governorship election in the state.
“The people
that have criticised me most on this are people who never voted me in the first
place. So, are they not supposed to be celebrating it?
“In their
own opinion, I have made a wrong choice. Then, why are they mourning?” he
asked.
Earlier, the
paramount ruler of Numana in Sanga LG where Dr. Hadiza Balarabe hails from,
Brigadier-General Aliyu Yamma (Rtd), said the choice of their daughter had
given them the hope of being in government.
He sad
successive administrations had forgotten the people of the area as far as
participation in government was concerned.
“The
governor couldn’t have made a better choice than the selection of Hadiza.
“We now feel
a sense of belonging in Kaduna government. We are just like Black Americans in
Kaduna State,” he said.
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