Abdulraheem Aodu
Kaduna
Governor of Kaduna state, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, yesterday said he would make his bid known to re-contest the office in 2019 at the appropriate time.
He said the comment by his Chief of Staff, Alhaji Muhammad Bashir Saidu, that he (El-Rufai) won’t seek the peoples’ mandate in 2019 for the same office was Saidu’s personal opinion.
The governor in a statement personally signed by him and made available to journalists in Kaduna, also said what Saidu said was his personal opinion, as he (El-Rufai) will not communicate his decision to run for a second term in 2019 through surrogates, but directly to the people of Kaduna State.
El-Rufai’s statement is entitled ‘I will inform the public on second term when I am ready.’ It reads in part: : “My attention has been drawn to statements credited to our Chief of Staff which clearly misrepresented his good intentions aimed at encouraging youths in politics and governance of our dear state.”
“What was reported was that I had no plans to run for another term of office, and will be succeeded by someone below the age of 50. Both statements are misrepresentations of my position and the government. It has become imperative that these wrong impressions thereby created be corrected.
“In 2014, when I complied with the directive of our leader President Muhammadu Buhari to run for the office of Governor of Kaduna State, I made the announcement in person. I did not employ surrogates to engage the public on this important decision. What I did not do as an aspirant for office, I will not do as incumbent Governor. I will not communicate my decision to run for a second term in 2019 through surrogates, but directly to the people of Kaduna State.
“Regarding the views ascribed to the Chief of Staff, they are perhaps his personal opinion. I do not wish to be associated with such sentiments. I am of the firm opinion that nobody, no matter the position they hold, can dictate to other citizens what they can or cannot aspire to. No individual can introduce into the electoral process conditions that are not embedded in the laws of our country and the norms of electoral competition.
“The Constitution of Nigeria, the Electoral Act and the APC constitution have no provisions imposing maximum age limits for those aspiring to elective office. I am a strict law-abiding citizen and loyal party member, and will not countenance anyone even hinting at circumscribing constitutional rights.”
