Arewa Youths react to El-Rufai’s threat to foreigners

chika ebuzor

February 6, 2019 7:14 PM

The AYCF President, Yerima Shettima said El-Rufai can only make such statements in Kaduna state.

Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) has reacted to a threat issued to foreigners by the Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai.

El-Rufai, while speaking on an NTA programme, said foreigners who try to interfere in Nigeria’s affairs will go home in a body bag.

The Governor said "Those that are calling for everyone to come and intervene in Nigeria, we are waiting for the person that will come and intervene. They will go back in body bags. Because nobody will come to Nigeria and tell us how to run our country.

“We’ve got that independence and we are trying to run our country as decently as possible and we know the history of those countries that are trying to teach us these things; we have read their history. We also know that in their stages of development they went through these challenges.

“So, please, let’s work together; let’s advise one another but don’t lecture us.”

Speaking further, the AYCF President, Yerima Shettima said El-Rufai can only make such statements in Kaduna state.

Daily Post reports that Shettima said “We are worried about the way they are encouraging more foreigners into our political activities. The latest event in Kano has actually proven beyond reasonable doubt that the APC government was busy encouraging foreigners to interfere in our national life which is not right, even within the international law; it’s not acceptable as that is not the standard.

“Having said that, I’m also concerned and worried that maybe he got carried away, as a governor, he has a limitation that he can only make such declaration in Kaduna State.

“If it’s general then we expect the President to summon courage to speak against the foreigners because he has more friends in the neighboring countries like in Niger, so that should be referred to him.

“We expect that he should be the one to summon courage and tell his friends never to interfere in our elections because it’s not done anywhere in the world and Nigeria must not allow such.

“The warning must be given to them that this is a purely Nigerian affair and citizens must be allowed to discharge their civic responsibility by voting for whoever they want to vote for, foreign mercenaries have no place interfering with our elections. Naturally, it’s against the law and international standard.”

Many Nigerians have also condemned the Kaduna state Governor for issuing such a threat.

Others have also accused Governor El-Rufai of hate speech.

Watch the video below and share what you think about the Kaduna Governor's statement.