Kaduna Assembly Rejects Commissioner Nominee For Criticising Governor El-Rufai On Social Media

The Kaduna State House of Assembly has rejected Aliyu Jafaaru Abubakar, one of the commissioners nominated by the State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.

Abubakar was said to have been rejected for criticizing governor el-Rufai on social media.

According to the Speaker, Aminu Abdullahi Shagali, who presided over the screening of commissioner nominees, the nominee’s rejection, follow his criticism of the el-Rufai’s policy since 2017 on his Facebook handle.

Shagali cited the issue of unqualified primary school teachers who could not pass primary four examinations. While quoting some of his posts, the speaker said:

“In your Facebook account, you said there was nothing like making Kaduna State great again.

“It is a deceptive clinch used by politicians to deceive the masses; we will make Kaduna great at the appropriate time.

“It is a responsibility for those who are truly sincere not for those who are inherently sarcastic.

“You also said El-Rufai must learn to tackle issues with human face, you also said you are an advocate of change that goes to the root cause, not only the symptoms.

“You also said in the same post, stop comparing me with El-Rufai who thinks he is more intelligent than intelligence itself.

“You, however, said you are a humble human being that believes that all that glitter is not gold hence there is nothing authoritarian in insisting on the truth and never speak the truth.

“You also posted: I detest insincerity as there are better ways of genuinely solving problems.”

Briefing journalists shortly after the plenary, the Chairman, Assembly Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Alhaji Tanimu Musa, said the rejection of the governor’s nominee was as a result of his criticism of the present administration. He said:

“The evil that men do live even after them, Jaafaru has been a critic of this administration on social media.

“He has been criticizing the government, so why did he want to work with the government you have been criticizing,” Musa said.

A spokesperson to Mr. El-Rufai said the governor nominated Mr. Abubakar without ever meeting him. He said the nominee visited the state’s deputy governor on Tuesday but failed to disclose that he had been a vociferous critic of the governor.

“By Wednesday, party members from Kajuru local governments began to protest against the nomination saying such an implacable critic should not be rewarded,” he said.

The official said Governor El-Rufai became aware of the real identity of the nominee on Wednesday but declined to withdraw the nomination despite pressure on him to do so.

“But when the Assembly asked him how he planned to work and relate with a governor he has criticized for years, he was unable to respond leaving the lawmakers with no choice than to reject him.”

The assembly also screened the other nominees on Thursday. The nominees are Thomas Gyang, who was nominated as Commissioner for Planning and Budget Commission; Hassan Usman Mahmud, Commissioner in the governor’s office for Riots, Damage, Rehabilitation and Resettlement; and Atiku Musa as Auditor -General for Local Governments.