The gubernatorial candidate of the Labour Party in 2023 election in Kaduna State, Mr. Jonathan Asake, has opined that democracy in Nigeria will succeed if only those knowledgeable are elected into office for proper administration of their citizens.
According to him, it would ensure good governance and bring inclusiveness of all sections leading to peace, unity and development of the state and the country at large.
Speaking in Kaduna, the former gubernatorial candidate expressed concern at the utterances of former governor Nasir El-Rufai during his interview with Channels Television, where according to him, he made some statements that were detrimental to the unity and development of Kaduna state.
According to Asake, “The explanation of the former governor indicated that he has no full knowledge of the state because his statements about Southern Kaduna indicated his complete ignorance of the area.
“Those who ruled the state before him can testify that El-Rufai does not know anything about Southern Kaduna because before and during his leadership in the state, he hardly visited the area or interacted with stakeholders of the area to fully know the area.
“So long as the right people are not allowed to lead their people either at the federal, state and local government, the country will continue to suffer like what Kaduna state went through in the hands of El-Rufai, who by accident became the governor of the state and we all saw what took place during his tenure.
“Insecurity became the order of the day in the state, many people were displaced; till date, they have gone back to their ancestral homes.”
He explained that during the tenure of El-Rufai, those that were attacked were the same people arrested for trying to resist the attackers, adding that curfews were also imposed on such communities for months with the attackers having a field day to carry out their nefarious act with little resistance.
Asake, who was the President of the Southern Kaduna People’s Union (SOKAPU) when El-Rufai was governor, said he did nothing to come to the aid of the victims, and that they were left to carry their cross.
Speaking on the population of Christians in the state, he noted that anybody making such a comparison should do so with facts, lamenting that a former governor could bring himself so low by making utterances that were capable of bringing confusion in a state he once ruled.
He said, “Any right thinking person that listens to the former governor’s interview will definitely feel sorry for the country because instead of leaders to make factual analysis of issues, the same persons try as much as possible to sow the seed of discord in the minds of his people not minding what happened. It is this same person that still wants to lead a country like Nigeria.”
He stated that the group of persons in the coalition party should be given a serious scrutiny by Nigerians to see if they were truly freedom fighters or some were using it for their selfish ambition and not for the interest of Nigeria.
