The governor stated that he was arrested when he visited Anambra on behalf of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to monitor the state’s governorship bye-election.
The presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi has lashed out at Governor Nasir el-Rufai of Kaduna State for trying to incite northerners who attended the Arewa Confab against him.
Recall that El-Rufai had at an interactive session organised by the Arewa Joint Committee, claimed that he was arrested and detained for 48 hours in Anambra State in 2013 on the orders of Obi who was the then Governor of the state.
The governor stated that he was arrested when he visited Anambra on behalf of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to monitor the state’s governorship bye-election.
This is as he had in another tape stated that orders for his arrest came from Abuja and not Obi.
Reacting to El-Rufai’s claim, Peter Obi’s Media Aide, Tai Emeka Obasi, in a statement on Tuesday said the former Anambra governor is too cultured to break the law as he has no power to order the SSS to effect such arrest.
He stated that the Kaduna State governor failed in his attempt to incite the audience against the Labour Party presidential candidate.
According to Peter Obi’s aide, the audience admirably showed that they had not only outgrown such ethnic pettiness but also very interested in what is best for their country.
The statement reads: “Displaying the height of desperation, the governor of Kaduna State went all-time low in issue of pettiness when he attempted to incite the selected audience at the AREWA Confab. yesterday. HE Nasir el-Rufai told the audience after his principal, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu had taken his turn that HE Peter Obi, who was being expected, had arrested and locked him up when he visited Anambra State in 2013 when Obi was the governor. And went further to boast that as governor of Kaduna State that he had every security apparatus within his disposal to reciprocate.
“What el-Rufai didn’t tell the enlightened audience was exactly why he would visit Anambra State on the day of her 2013 gubernatorial election without being recognised by INEC as an accredited observer. He should have waited for Obi to sneak into Kaduna on the state’s gubernatorial election day to start thinking of retaliation. A day that would never come as the man in the news is too cultured to disobey the laws of the land the way el-Rufai did in desperate attempt that would have caused chaos if the security agents did not act as directed by Abuja.
“El-Rufai would have been baffled (he must have watched from the screen) that the evidently very focused members of the joint AREWA fora did not bite his bait. They must have known that no governor was in charge of such arrests as confirmed by el-Rufai in attached video.
The very mature audience admirably showed that they had not only outgrown such ethnic pettiness but also very interested in what is best for their country that is sinking before their eyes. The cheers that welcomed Obi and the kererenke that rang in chorus when he finished an audacious speech were heartwarming to any progressive Nigerian. This country is about to be truly united.”