2019: Gov el-Rufai speaks fatalistically

KADUNA State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, sources tell Sentry in Kaduna, is said to be afraid of losing his second term bid. The governor who recently gave what sounded like a self-consoling speech at an event in Kaduna said he would be the first to concede defeat if he lost the 2019 governorship election. He had better things to do with his life than being the state governor, he moaned. At the event which had gubernatorial candidates of some other political parties in attendance, Mallam el-Rufai said he pitied those aspiring to succeed him, because the job is not an easy one, and he sometimes felt like abdicating.

“It is my view as candidate of the APC that if INEC should conduct the elections of 2019 with the same kind of credibility as the recent Osun governorship election, there would be no violence at all because it is rigging that leads to violence,” the governor reasoned. “And as a candidate of the  APC, I am saying here and now, I am in a hurry to pack out of the Government House, if the people do not vote for me.”

Sources whispered to Sentry that beyond the grandstanding, Mallam el-Rufai is at bottom troubled by the unexpected, especially considering the impact of some of his policies. The governor had executed policies widely perceived to have rubbed off badly on the people, chief among which were the sacking of about 22,000 teachers and some categories of traditional rulers, not to talk of the demolition of ‘illegal’ structures and the nomination of a Muslim running mate. The sources tell Sentry that they expect the governor to be a little more sober than his normal sprightly self as the elections draw near. But no one is putting his money on that bet.