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ELRUFA’I, MURIC, AND THE ISLAMIZATION AGENDA: Response From A Christian
By Edward John Auta
Everyone will always get what they deserve. When we fail to plan, therefore, we are planning to fail.
The levity with which Christians treat matters of elections, politics, and governance is so appalling that it would seem their existence does not depend on them.
This is the reason people like Elrufa’i or groups like the Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, can throw jabs at Christians; the church or even the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, and nothing would happen, save for a few ineffective social media reactions such as this one. Swap the roles and have Christian leaders make such contemptuous remarks when in a position of advantage over Muslims, the reactions can only be better imagined.
But Christians, naturally do not plan evil, or oppressive machinations against other religions (as Elrufa’i or MURIC would want us to believe about Islam), so they naturally will not make those inflammatory remarks as Elrufa’i and MURIC have done.
Only recently, in a statement by MURIC made available to the press, the group berated President Tinubu and his Vice, Shettima, for what they described as the president and his vice “succumbing to cheap blackmail in their choice of Christians as CSO and ADC, respectively, to the Vice President”.
According to the statement, “There are reports that Vice President Kashim Shettima has given his first two appointments to two Christians. He made an Igbo man, a Catholic, his Chief Security Officer (CSO). Next, he gave another Christian from the North Central, the post of Aide-de-Camp (ADC). But he gave Muslims nothing.”
The group also boasted that the 2023 elections had proven that Muslims are the overwhelming majority in the country and that appointments in the government should reflect that reality.
“It is true that appointments must reflect competence. But it is equally true that it must also mirror the reality on the ground. Interestingly enough, the reality on the ground is that Muslims are an overwhelming majority in this country today. MURIC did not say that. The presidential election held on 25th February 2023 said so.”
This claim, however, is flawed when put side by side with the declared results by INEC. The sum of the figures attributed to Atiku and Obi, over 70% of which are from Christian-dominated areas, or a state-by-state assessment of what Tinubu scored in Cross Rivers, Rivers, Benue, Plateau, Edo, Imo, Ebonyi, Ogun, Oyo, Ekiti, Gombe, Lagos, and even southern Kaduna, among others, which are Christian-dominated states account for almost half of the 8.9m votes that INEC relied upon to declare Tinubu the winner of the elections, settles it.
Meanwhile, both the CSO and ADC to the president are Muslims, not forgetting the fact that the president and his Vice are also Muslims. But when those two appointments were made by the president earlier on, Christians and Christian groups were silent, as though every appointment in the government does not matter to them. Sad!
This was followed by Elrufa’i’s characteristically satanic disclosure that the Muslim-Muslim ticket they introduced in Kaduna State and Nigeria was to spite Christians and CAN, and to institutionalise a system that will guarantee the dominion of Muslims over Christians in the state and nation, adding that sustaining the system for 20 years would place Christians where they belong, and they’ll have no other option than to resign to fate.
In the same video, Elrufai also boasted about how efficiently their strategy and plan of wrapping the Muslim-Muslim ticket under the garments of competence defeated the “tactless” CAN and condemned them to complete silence.
He claimed that although he and Tinubu weren’t on good terms at the time of the preparations for the elections, he made a sudden u-turn when they calculated and saw that with Tinubu, the prospect of victory at installing a Muslim-Muslim president and vice president was high, underscoring the supremacy of religious interest over personal interest, an attribute that is very rare among Christians or Christian politicians.
But what was the calculation that Mr Elrufa’i and his Islamic gang did that CAN and the Christians didn’t do? It is quite simple. With Atiku as the presidential candidate of the PDP and Obi as that of the LP, there was a high tendency for CAN and Christian leaders to adopt Mr Obi – a Christian, as its candidate.
If that happened, therefore, there was going to be a split of the Christian population among three major contenders: LP, PDP, and the APC. The PDP and APC would share the other votes because of their elaborate political structures across the country and in most Christian areas, while the Muslim population would be divided mainly along two candidates – Tinubu and Atiku.
Obi here would be left out because his party has weak to zero political structures that cannot earn him reasonable Muslim votes, while there’s no mention of Kwankaso because he was only going to make an impact in Kano State to the detriment of Atiku; and this too was part of the game plan.
So, it was only a matter of the election day for either Atiku or Tinubu to win (despite Christians, dominating in more states than Muslims), because Obi could not have won and can’t win without a good showing in at least one or two of these northern states: Kano, Jigawa, Zamfara, Kebbi, Sokoto, Katsina, Borno, Niger, Bauchi, Yobe, Kwara, and another one or two states outside Lagos in the southwest (where ethnic and party considerations are high and above religious considerations in an election).
Regrettably, efforts by the more politically exposed and strategic Christians to draw the attention of the church and the Obidients to these realities or analyse the situation from the right perspectives or call for caution and proper planning ahead of the elections were rebuffed and the persons involved demonised, profiled and attacked. The case of the revered Apostle Emmanuel Kure, in this regard, readily comes to mind.
It was, therefore, clear that while jihadists were acting a well-written and rehearsed script, the Christians were ill-prepared and only reactionary and emotional in their approach.
Funny enough, there are clerics and Christians who still believe that Mr Peter Gregory Obi, “the candidate of the Church,” won. Some even made embarrassing prophecies before and after the elections that didn’t come to pass, and by so doing, made our God, the Christians, look weak. Thank goodness, God cannot be mocked.
Today, both CAN and the entire body of Christ are being mocked, with the Christians in Kaduna State being the worst hit. Just how long the Islamic jihadists would be enjoying their well-thought-out coup against the Christians is a matter for the courts, but whatever happens in the end, Elrufa’i’s taunts of Islamic conquest should not be swept under the carpet.
His claim of the victory of Islam over Christianity must be interrogated, and its far-reaching implications on the state and nation at large discussed, even with a sense of urgency.
We may have lost the opportunity to work with fair-minded Muslims in the state to prevent the “victory,” by crook, of the APC, and we might even lose at the tribunal (this is by no means a lack of confidence in the merit of the case or an admission of defeat), but the lessons learnt from the 2023 elections or the taunts by Elrufa’i or MURIC must NEVER be forgotten.
We must never forget that Tinubu’s or Uba Sani’s votes are not exclusively those of Muslims, and we too can NEVER win the presidential or governorship (in Kaduna State) elections by the exclusive votes of Christians or Muslims. This fact is sacred.
In 2027, or any other election for that matter, we must kill this religious monster staring us in the face – now that we all know what it is about; and planning, strategy and the unity of progressive Christians and Muslims are the necessary tools for success.
May God be kind to this nation and never allow bigots like Elrufa’i to smell the institutions of power, ever again, and may Christians also learn to be smart, strategic and timely in future political endeavours. And may together we embrace unity and eschew the dangerous path people like Elrufai are carving.
Edward John Auta writes from Narom Village of Zonkwa Ward in Zango Kataf LGA of Kaduna State*
autaedward@gmail.com
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Two brothers Launch Sardaunan Ikulu Fans Foundation, Sponsor WAEC Registration For 50 vulnerable Students
By Israel Bulus, Kaduna
In a significant effort to promote education, two brothers have launched the Sardaunan Ikulu Fans Foundation, sponsoring the West African Examinations Council (WAEC) registration for 50 vulnerable students in Kamaru Ikulu Ward, Zango-Kataf Local Government Area of Kaduna State.
Speaking at the launch on Tuesday, Yusuf Ismail Ashafa, popularly known as Sardaunan Ikulu, urged the beneficiaries to remain dedicated to their studies and strive for academic excellence. He assured them that the foundation would continue to support outstanding students by facilitating their admission into higher institutions.
Ashafa also called on parents to play an active role in motivating their children to focus on education, emphasizing that their success would contribute to a brighter future for the community.
Meanwhile, Ashafa, who played a crucial role in the emergence of Engr. Bege Gaiya Joseph as the Executive Chairman of Zango-Kataf Local Government Area, expressed deep appreciation for Joseph and his brother, Reuben Richman Bissla, for sponsoring the students’ WAEC registration in his honor.
He pledged to build on these efforts, ensuring continued support for students’ education as a means of fostering societal development.
In his remarks, the co-sponsor, Engr. Joseph Bege Gaiya, popularly known as Lordbeckson, disclosed that the initiative was aimed at improving the education of the most vulnerable students for the betterment of society.
“I am one of the beneficiaries of the goodwill of Sardaunan Ikulu. If he had wanted to become the Council Chairman, he would have been, but he decided to push me forward, and today I am the Council Chairman through his mentorship,” he stated.
He urged the beneficiaries to consider themselves fortunate and to take full advantage of the opportunity by studying hard to achieve excellent results.
“With the establishment of the Federal University of Applied Sciences in Kachia, we must ensure that our students pursue science courses. We cannot afford to have a Federal University in our region and yet have our children unable to gain admission to study science-related fields,” he added.
The initiative has been widely commended as a timely intervention, helping underprivileged students overcome financial barriers to education.
Amid the recall process initiated against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the Arewa Youths Progressives Assembly has told both the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and the police that Nigerians are keenly watching their actions.
This came amid viral video of some politicians in the Kogi State mass-signing signatures purported to be that of the Senator’s constituents.
It was gathered that the Senator has already petitioned the police over the development.
However, addressing journalists on Tuesday, the National President of Arewa Youths Progressives Assembly, Shuaibu Usman, accused the INEC of always compromising the electoral process in Kogi State.
Usman, who recalled how results of the last governorship election in the state emerged even before the exercise commenced, urged the commission to redeem itself.
He said, “Kogi parades as a worst example when it comes to INEC conduct of election in Nigeria. We have not forgotten how many credible organisations, including Yiaga Africa, raised the alarm of the electoral heist that went on during the last guber election in that state.
“So, INEC has been notorious for providing a thriving ground for politicians in Kogi State to mess up the country’s electoral system.
“The same people are at it again, this time hiding under the guise of a recall process against Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan. With their Kogi magic, they quickly manufactured over 250,000 signatures, whereas the entire voters during the main election stood at 120,000.
“One need not be a suitsayer to know that these are the same elements who are known to be chronic election riggers, with INEC as their enablers.
“However, we must caution the INEC that this should not be business as usual; this is beyond Kogi State, so Nigerians are watching.
“We were taken aback when the INEC after announcing that the petition did not meet its requirements, returned a day after to tell Nigerians that the same petitioners have met the requirements- what a quick fix!
“The INEC must not kowtow to the whims and caprices of desperate political elements in Kogi State, as this will be resisted by Nigerians.”
Similarly, the apex Igbo group also urged the police to ensure that all those in forging the signatures of Senator Natasha’s constituents were brought to book.
According to the group, the viral videos showed known faces in Kogi State, wondering why the police were yet to effect any arrest.
“By now, we had expected that some of the perpetrators should be cooling their heels in custody or having their days in court, but it is yet to happen.
“There should be no room for compromise, the culprits, no matter how highly placed, should be identified, arrested and prosecuted.
“We urge that the police should engage forensic experts to analyze those signatures before the INEC takes any further step in the said petition,” Usman further stated.
Apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, (EFCC), to halt what it called unjust persecution of socialite, Aisha Sulaiman Achimugu, OFR
This is also as the group faulted the manner of the raid carried out by the commission on the socialite’s residential house in Abuja.
It could be recalled that a video went viral, which showed officials of the commission, reportedly in the family home of the Achimugus.
This came after she was declared wanted by the EFCC.
Her 80-year-old mother was also said to have been forced to sit on the bare floor, tortured and refused to give her water when she pleaded for it
In a statement made available to journalists on Sunday, the National President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, described the action of the EFCC for declaring the national honour’s recipient wanted barely some days after she was invited by the commission as gross
Okwu said enquiry by the Igbo group showed that some days after Achimugu was informed of the invitation by her lawyer, the commission rushed to the media declaring her wanted even when their letter in the public domain stated that everything accused her of is ALLEGEDLY and she is presently not in the country
“This development clearly smarks of a premeditated agenda to embarrass and discredit her personality. What else could justify the haste for an alleged crime to warrant being declared wanted just some days after she was invited by the commission?
“Mrs Achimugu is a global figure, not a politician and a national honours recipient, as well as a recipient of the US President’s award. This calibre of a person can never go under hiding.
“The fact that she is currently out of the country when the EFCC extended an invitation to her does not warrant their hasty declaration on alleged case without a competent court sanctioning such action.
“This is utterly reprehensible, and we urge that the EFCC should not continue to be used as a tool for political witch-hunting.
“Mrs Achimugu is an established, decent, and well to do businesswoman who respects the laws and humanity and from a respected family. Her source of wealth has never been a source of controversy or hidden.
“We want to declare that her rights should be respected; her contributions to the growth of citizens and the nation should not be ignored. The EFCC should withdraw the wanted tag on her.
While quoting Section 7 of the Administration of Criminal Justice Act and Section 36 of the Nigerian Police Act, the Youth President said the relevant laws prohibit arrest by proxy.
He said, “the reported invitation and declaration of Mrs. Achimugu is unlawful and a gross violation of the provisions of Nigeria’s relevant laws. We had waited to see whether the commission would make a turn, but its silence means that they are bent on tarnishing her image for someone who is private and law abiding.
“This is worrisome and should be condemned in all totality. There is no justification for their actions. This is a gross illegality.
“We recall that the EFCC did announce that it would stop this kind of raid, but it appears that nothing has changed. This crude method of arrest defies all logic and legality.
“All these go to show that there is more to this than meets the eye. It is albeit political is pure harassment to satisfy certain interests.
“Having said this, we urge the Chairman of the EFCC, who pledged before now to reform the commission, to direct the operatives to act right and let the law take it due course without further delay or embarrassment”