Kaduna: I have better things to do with my life than being a governor, says El-Rufai

Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-rufai, said that he has better things to do with his life than being the governor of Kaduna State.

He promised to concede defeat to whoever wins the 2019 governorship election in the state.

Speaking at the event organized by the Kaduna State Peace Commission in partnership with AID Foundation Development Peace Initiative, United States Institute of Peace, Nigeria Bar Association and the Nigeria Union of Journalists, governor El-Rufai said, “l should spend most of my time with my family which I have not done in the last 10 years.”

While calling on politicians to shun politics of bitterness, he said election was not a war but a competition that at the end of it will have a winner.

His words, “When politicians give weapons and drugs to young people for electoral purposes, then what do you do with them after you win? They become monsters that will be difficult to deal with.

“We have no thugs in the APC, all those that campaign with us, we try to empower and give them employment so that they can be off the streets.

“If you don’t find job for this people, they are the one who become soldiers for Boko-Haram, kidnappers and involved themselves in other criminal activities.

“For us as state government, we must continue to govern and these are very serious issues for us.”

He said politicians should conduct themselves during the campaign and avoid using hate speeches, adding that campaign should be issue-based.

Governor El-rufai reiterated his commitment towards ensuring that whoever was found using the social media to incite the killing of people in Kaduna would be brought to book.

“We are determined and we are doing that vigorously. We do not care about what people said, either you call yourselves Bishop, Imam, Sheikh, Chief or District head, we will bring them to justice.

“We are on the trail of those who have done that, some in Abuja, some in Lagos and we will bring them to Kaduna and charge them for hate speeches and we will not politicise it, because the protection of lives and property should never be politicised,” he explained.

He appealed to politicians to put the people first, saying they should adhere to the tenets of religion, as no religion preaches hatred.