The attention of Abia North Youth Agenda, ANYA, has been drawn to a dangerous ethnic card being played by the loud-mouth, noisy, untamed son of the Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, Bashir El-Rufai in his latest attempt to hoodwink the candidate of All Progressives Congress in the impending presidential contest of 2023, Alhaji Bola Ahned Tinubu.

It is on record that Bashir El-Rufai is a proven and confirmed ethnic bigot whose hatred for other Nigerians, especially, Ndigbo is phenomenal, therefore one doesn’t have to be surprised when his likes, who may be acting on instructions of his father, borne out of frustration that they are losing on all turf to the “candidate without structure”, PO, should resort to playing desperate ethnic cards that will jeopardize the fragile security situation prevalently in Nigeria, albeit Southeast.

In a statement signed by its national coordinator, Hon Udoeze Kalu, the youth body warns that Tinubu should not allow himself to be used as a pun by the Northern Oligarchs whose only plan for Nigeria is to stay in power, even if it means doing nothing on top, then cause more chaos in the Southeast because it is very clear now that there’s is a script being played out by the North against the recent handshake of political unity between the South West, the South East, and the South-South, they are testing the waters of resolve by the South but are too timid to come open, they want to start with their little minions like Bashir El-Rufai.

Let’s look at some sensitive issues that point to the fact that Bashir is not speaking for himself, yet we can see the hand of Eassu behind the voice of Jacob.

We are yet to understand why Malami and Buhari refused to release Mazi Nnamdi Kanu after a competent court of Appeal has discharged and acquitted him of all charges, they have proved to be above the law and now the final authority that can arrest, detain, and punish anyone they feel is guilty. In all their activities, they did not consider the escalating insecurity challenges which are strongly believed that Nnamdi Kanu’s release would have offered a political solution to the problems.

Cajoling Tinubu into holding his campaign on a Monday without considering the security implication is aimed at achieving some of these among others.

1. The government who have continued to entertain the concept of Unknown Gunmen in the South East would have perfected plans to disrupt such senseless gatherings to create the impression that Tinubu was attacked in the East by IPOB. This will successfully pitch Ndigbo against their Yoruba brothers while the Fulani overloads enjoy the spoils of the war.
2. With the popularity of the Labour Party presidential candidate, growing in the North, East, West, and South, this motivation by little Bashir speaking for his father and co is aimed at creating apathy and bad blood against Peter Obi to cut his support base among Yoruba voters who are as educated as the counterpart and may be voting based on conviction rather than religious or tribal sentiments. Therefore, in the usual style of the Oligarchs, it is important to divide to rule over the south using Alhaji Ahmed Tinubu as the trap while little Bashir El-Rufai plays the hype man”.

Recommendation

” The Youth Association, therefore, recommended that Alhaji Tinubu should first of all start by campaigning in Sambisa forest, Bornu, and other hot zones of the North, including Kaduna to test his popularity before coming to campaign on a Monday because as it stands now, the south Easterners are trying to figure out who are the Unknown Gunmen causing chaos and enforcing sit at home since IPOB has continued to deny responsibility for it. At least we presently know that Bandits are the ones threatening Kaduna and Sambisa, the people in charge will know how to negotiate with them.

• If there is no other motive for continually incarcerating Nnamdi Kanu against court judgment, let them release him before Tinubu will come and campaign to Easterners on a Monday so that by then we would have figured out who the Unknown Gunmen are. A man that has lots of Lions at his door should not be more worried over a man trying to handle one Dog.
• If BAT is not out for this presidential contest, he should excuse himself and leave the ready candidates with their intellectual balance still intact to go to the polls rather than making himself a willing tool to create chaos in Nigeria when the government of the day is finding it difficult to manage the escalating insecurity in the nation, the DSS, Military and sister security outfits should endeavor to dissuade BAT from escalating the volatile peace already threatened in Nigeria.

We are calling on the relevant authority to reign in Bashir El-Rufai and his co-travelers as we will not stand by and watch them cause an avoidable security threat to our lands simply because they could not manage their raging security problems, we are peace-loving Nigerians, we must be given ample time to decipher who the faceless Unknown Gunmen in the Southeast.