El-Rufai Speaks on Allegation He Mercilessly Slapped His Deputy

After rumours emerged that the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai mercilessly slapped his deputy over a disagreement, the governor has come to clear the air.

Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai

 

Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai  has reacted to the rumour that he mercilessly slapped his deputy over a disagreement.

 

Speaking on the matter, the governor said that he has never quarrelled with, nor slapped his Deputy, Barnabas Bala. He laughed off the news as he shed more light on his relationship with Bala.

 

Speaking further, the governor said Bala has been his friend since they both attended Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria in Kaduna State several years ago. While the governor had First class honours, studying Quantity Survey, his Deputy, graduated with First Class honours in Architecture from the same Ahmadu Bello Unversity, Zaria. He said they have known each other since 1976 at ABU and that nothing has ever led them to fight.

 

However, it has been gathered that the governor and his deputy have not been in good terms. It is alleged that the two are having challenges due to the governor's plan to sack top civil servants in the state.

 

But El-Rufai, in an interactive session with select journalists simply laughed over the allegation. He said those who concocted the story were not intelligent enough as he said if the alleged fisticuffs took place in the executive meeting as portrayed by the rumour mongers, there would have been video or photo evidence of the  fight by some executive members of the State councils, “because nobody is prevented from entering the meeting with his or her phone”.

 

El-Rufai said, “I have known Bala Bantex since 1976, I never had an argument with him, I respect his opinions,  and each time I travelled out of the country, I make him an Acting governor,  he signs documents on my behalf.

“We chair executive council meetings together, we operate like partners, and now people want to create enmity between us.  I am of age,  I can’t descend so low. This rumour is completely false, it is created to cause division.

“We never discussed retrenchment of workers in the state as claimed by the rumour mongers.

“I have never slapped anyone in my life. I have never argued with Bala, I don’t slap people,  I fight people with mouth,” El-Rufai said.