By Osa Mbonu-Amadi
Question has been asked whether there are Christians who voted for the shady, sick and older Ahmed Bola Tinubu, instead of the much younger, far more qualified and upright Peter Obi, in the last Nigeria’s presidential election.
Well, Evangelist Kwamkur Samuel, former National Director for Legal and Public Affairs of the Christians Association of Nigeria, CAN, is one of them. Kwamkur from Kaduna State did not only vote for Tinubu, he worked for him.
But after listening to a recent address to Muslims made in Hausa language by the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Kwamkur says that El-Rufai revealed a sinister plan to Islamize Nigeria.
In a press statement issues in Kaduna on June 4, 2023, titled “Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s bigotry: A call on Nigerian Christians to be steadfast and the president to disassociate himself from the Islamization conspiracy”, Evangelist Kwamkur said:
“I have called you today to address you specifically on the vituperation of the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, his Excellency, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, against the Christian community and non-Muslims in Nigeria in his recent address in Hausa language to some Islamic clerics at the end of his tenure as the Governor of Kaduna State, which video has gone viral and easily accessible in the public domain.”
There is a hidden agenda
“Ordinarily, I have heard Islamic clerics preach that Tinubu’s Muslim/Muslim ticket is in furtherance of an Islamization agenda, and despite that I am one of those who contributed in discouraging Christians and Nigerians from accepting such as true because I believed in the antecedents and character of His Excellency Ahmed Bola Tinubu, but hearing from a political leader like El-Rufai, a close associate of Tinubu and Shettima, an active participant in the campaign who was contemplated as one of the qualified persons to be appointed as the Chief of Staff to Mr President or Secretary to the Government of the Federation, confirmed that there is a hidden agenda to be mindful of.”
Evangelist Kwamkur continued: “In the said address, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai spoke like one of the religious bigots that have been working underground to set the nation on fire. Amongst his ill-motivated statements which I can only paraphrase for now, El-Rufai confirmed that he is a leader of the Islamic terrorist group operating in Sambisa forest, albeit, disguising as a governor in a complex nation like Nigeria.”
Kwamkur said the speech of the former governor, Mallam El-Rufai, shows that he is responsible for the wanton killing of Christians in Kaduna State and one of the sponsors of terrorism in Nigeria:
“First, El-Rufai in his speech, wondered why he should give ‘them’ (the post of) deputy governor when most of ‘them’ cannot vote for his party; that he calculated and discovered ‘we’ can win election without ‘them’. Why give ‘them’ (the office of) a deputy? From El-Rufai’s classification of the citizens of his state as ‘them’ verses ‘us’, one needs no angel to tell you that he cannot be exonerated from the wanton killings, demolition of houses and places of worship of Christians in Kaduna.
“Secondly, Mallam El-Rufai went further to state that Islamic dominance of government in Nigeria will bring peace, Justice and fair play. He assured the gathering that he will sustain an Islamic dominated government for 20 years and unending. This outburst reiterates his extreme fanaticism and displays his ignorance of what constitutes justice, equity and fair play. Discrimination, ethnic profiling and all genocidal attempts to consume a race or religion constitute injustice and are recipes for anarchy and crisis.”
Islamic dominance in Kaduna successfully replicated across Nigeria
Kwamkur also revealed that El-Rufai “told his audience that in the course of the electioneering campaigns, when “they” (Christians) tried to ask questions about the Muslim/Muslim ticket, he deceived ‘them’ that it is not for religious dominance, but in reality the tickets, both nationally and at state level, were for Islamic dominance. He boasted that the Islamic dominance in Kaduna has been successfully replicated in Nigeria and it shall continue. He said further that the victory of Asiwaju has silenced the Christian Association of Nigeria.
“The question is: Is it only Muslims that voted for Asiwaju? Who voted for Atiku and Peter Obi? I guess it was only Christians! How could a sitting governor, former minister of the Federal Republic and a potential key government appointee, be this callous and insensitive?”
El-Rufai’s involvement in Kaduna killings
“I recall that in one of my visits to a friend in Kaduna,” Kwamkur continued, “he expressed his views about Mallam El-Rufai’s involvement in the killings in Kaduna and I kept arguing that he should be given the benefit of doubt. But watching El-Rufai address the Muslim Umma, I no longer have any doubt in my mind that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is one of those behind the unending religious crisis and insecurity in Nigeria.
“For the record, Christianity does not practice deception as a principle or mode of operation. The Holy Bible admonishes Christians to say the truth at all times. Christians are also taught unconditional love regardless of religion, region and background. In the Christian faith the Holy Book frowns against religious discrimination and dominance.
“The definition of justice, equity and fairness is hinged on providing platforms for the involvement of all regardless of their population, religion and tribe. We also believe that God is the giver of life and power; He gives to whoever He wishes and also takes it at the time He so wishes. Hence boasting of any sort is an open challenge to God’s sovereignty.
“Being a member of the Nigeria Interreligious Council, NIREC, I have closely interfaced with respected Islamic leaders of high repute and found out that there are Muslim leaders, unlike Mallam El-Rufai, who are deeply concerned about the peace, development and growth of Nigeria without pretense. Truly speaking, El-Rufai is a setback to the peace process that NIREC has been battling with in the midst of religious upheavals.
“Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has exhibited blatant misuse of the trust that God gave him and confirmed that he is an extremist who has largely contributed to the pains of the very people he took an oath to protect in the guise of working for his religion.
“One would have expected El-Rufai to take advantage of such meetings to discuss the achievements of his government in developing the state and taking his people out of poverty and insecurity, but ney! He wants to be celebrated as a religious hero and a jihadist of high repute. How can our nation grow with this kind of leader in authority?”
Why we supported Tinubu
Explaining why they worked for Tinubu, Kwamkur said: “Let it be known to all Nigerians that those of us Christians who supported his Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, did so out of sincere hope that both himself and his Vice will work to ensure the sustainable development of Nigeria through their policies, experience and exposure. It should be known that we did not vote Tinubu out of El-Rufai’s deception (Taqiya) as he claimed!
“It should be made known to El-Rufai that against his wild imagination of achieving an Islamization agenda through dominance and persecution of Christians, Christianity grows better in persecution and supposed dominance. We shall continue to preach inclusiveness, equity and fair play in the true sense of these words. We shall never practice deception to cling to power. No! It is against our faith!”
Need to be wary of El-Rufai
Warning on the danger politicians like El-Rufai pose to the country’s peace and unity, Evangelist Kwamkur said: “May I use this medium to invite Mallam El-Rufai to study the nature of our God in the Book of Esther, especially Chapters 6 & 7, where Haman’s plot to end the lives of the Israelites ended up consuming his own life. For El-Rufai to think that the Asiwaju vote is a victory for Islam is very unfortunate and speaks volumes of his kind of bigotry. His outburst has destroyed the remaining respect he enjoyed from patriotic Nigerians.
“We call on Asiwaju to be mindful of friends, associates and politicians like El-Rufai who seek to work with him as they will do more harm to the system and the nation and nothing good can come out of such.
“May I also use this medium to call on our governors in Nigeria, particularly our Northern governors to truly work towards removing our battered citizens from poverty, insecurity and the likes and ensure the provision of good healthcare and other benefits of good governance, rather than to dwell on preaching hate and religious and tribal differences. I call on our leaders to show the citizens the number of people they have empowered instead of the number of lives and property they have destroyed as is happening in Kaduna. I believe that God shall continue to expose the wolves in sheep’s clothing amongst Nigerians.”
