Group encourages Tinubu to select Southern Kaduna as El-Rufai’s replacement for the ministerial position

The Southern Kaduna Journalists Forum has urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to follow the precedent set in Kaduna State by appointing a minister from the south if the governor is from the state’s northern region.

Ango Bally, the forum’s chairman, and Lilian Silas Zubairu, its secretary, said in a statement on Wednesday that “a precedent had been set between 1999 and 2014, wherein, when the governor of the state is elected from the northern part, the ministerial appointment and Secretary to the State Government goes to the southern part, and vice versa. This guaranteed inclusive, equitable, and democratic governance.

A ministerial position for Kaduna State is still open, according to OBASANJO NEWS24, despite security reports rejecting Nasir El-Rufai’s request to represent the state as a minister.

The statement reads, “Previous administrations, both at the state and national levels, had demonstrated fair distribution of appointments between the northern and southern parts of the state since the return of democratic governance in 1999.”

The forum outlined how the current governor of the state, Senator Uba Sani, the speaker of the house of representatives, Dr. Tajjudeen Abbas, the speaker of the state assembly, and the secretary to the state government are all from the northern part of the state, highlighting how it is in the interests of equity, justice, and fairness that the position of minister be given to the southern part of the state.

“For the sake of equity, fairness, and inclusion, we today make an impassioned request to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to please consider choosing el-Rufai’s replacement from Southern Kaduna. The forum stated that the candidate might be any qualified individual from Southern Kaduna, regardless of party or religion.

The forum expressed hope that the appointment of a minister from Southern Kaduna will improve relations between the local populace and the government and connect their goals with Tinubu’s “Renewed Hope Agenda.”