The Muslim Rights Concern has demanded for explanation from the Senate on why it refused to clear a former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai as Minister-designate.
The demand came after the Senate cleared 45 out of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 48 ministerial nominees on Tuesday.
In a statement on Tuesday by the Executive Director of the human rights group, Professor Ishaq Akintola, MURIC said: “The Nigerian Senate yesterday, Monday, 7th August, 2023 confirmed all but two of the ministerial nominations presented by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The immediate past governor of Kaduna State was one of those yet to be confirmed.
“The people of Kaduna State in particular and Nigerian Muslims in general, are hugely disappointed by the inability of Senate to confirm El-Rufai as a minister.
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“It will be recalled that Mallam Nasir El-Rufai was highly instrumental in the emergence of the current Muslim-Muslim ticket as he played a key role in mobilizing Northern governors for the phenomenal development. What is playing out presently may be an attempt by the anti-Muslim-Muslim camp to get back at him.
“It is also not impossible that the authorities in charge of clearance have succumbed to the threat and blackmail exhibited by a pocket of Shiites who demonstrated at the National Assembly on Tuesday, 1st August, 2023 against the nomination of the former governor a few days ago.
“It is therefore being seen either as an act of vendetta against a former governor who mobilized the Muslim North for a Muslim-Muslim ticket or a vengeful manouvre by a handful of protesters who have no respect for constituted authority. It will be a bad precedent if the wish of either group is allowed to stand as people in positions of authority will henceforth be afraid to do the right thing at the right time.
“Nonetheless, MURIC has full confidence in the ability of the security agencies as well as relevant authorities to get to the root of the matter. Our pontifications above are based on mere speculations but this matter must be put to rest as quickly as possible because Nigerians want to know what happened. We therefore call for explanation and a speedy resolution in order to de-escalate the rising tension among the Nigerian Muslim population.”
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