By Israel Bulus, Kaduna
The Southern Kaduna Leadership Council (SKLC) has accused former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, of orchestrating and imposing changes to traditional chiefdoms in Southern Kaduna under false pretenses.
At a press conference in Kaduna on Wednesday, the council dismissed claims by El-Rufai’s former media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, that traditional rulers in the region voluntarily requested the alteration of their chiefdom names and status.
SKLC Secretary, Timothy Gandu, said documentary evidence shows that the former administration initiated the process through a 13-member committee set up in 2017 with clear instructions to alter the traditional system and remove ethnic-based nomenclatures.
“It was El-Rufai’s government that directed the committee to review and rename chiefdoms under the guise of reform. The majority of traditional councils rejected these changes, but were ignored,” Gandu said.
According to the council, 17 out of 25 affected chiefdoms wrote formally opposing the name changes, while another seven clarified they never requested them. Despite this, the administration went ahead to enforce the controversial restructuring, which the SKLC described as “divisive and politically motivated.”
The group accused El-Rufai of using the guise of reform to balkanize and weaken indigenous institutions, particularly in Christian-dominated Southern Kaduna, while promoting emirates in other parts of the state.
Gandu said the decision not only disregarded the historical and cultural identities of the people but also undermined traditional governance structures, which have long played a role in maintaining peace and social order.
The council also faulted the 2021 Kaduna State Traditional Institution Law, which it said led to the demotion and reclassification of several Southern Kaduna chiefs without due process. They further accused El-Rufai of deploying executive powers to depose, detain, and intimidate community leaders, especially during periods of heightened insecurity in the region.
Other allegations levelled against the former governor include arbitrary boundary adjustments, seizure of ancestral lands, mass retrenchment of civil servants from Southern Kaduna, and neglect of displaced communities during violent attacks.
The council warned Adekeye to desist from “peddling falsehoods” and described his defence of El-Rufai as “a continuation of the propaganda and injustice that defined the former administration.”
SKLC called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to order a judicial inquiry into El-Rufai’s tenure and bar him from holding any public office, citing what they termed “gross abuse of office and subversion of constitutional rights.”
They also urged Governor Uba Sani to repeal the 2021 law and restore all traditional institutions in Southern Kaduna to their pre-2015 status, while commending ongoing efforts to foster inclusion and bring federal projects to the region.
“Our people suffered deliberate marginalisation and orchestrated humiliation. These wrongs must be addressed for justice and reconciliation to take root,” Gandu said.
