My deputy and I did not exchange slaps - El Rufai

NAsir El-Rufai

Following various reports that there was exchange of hot slaps between the now embattled Kaduna state governor, Nasir el-Rufai and his deputy, Barnabas Bala, the governor has come out to clarify the issues. El-Rufai had earlier clashed with the Vice-President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo and was once described as President Buhari’s real vice-president.

He has also come under heavy fire from Christian clergymen across Nigeria over the controversial preaching bill, said he never slapped his deputy, Barnabas Bala, whom he described as a friend of 40 years. “I have known Bala since 1976. I never had an argument with him; I respect his opinions and each time I travelled out of the country, I made him the 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 the 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 my mouth.”

El-Rufai said the friendship between him and the deputy governor dated back to their undergraduate days at the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria. Reports has it that the governor and his deputy were said to be at loggerheads over the plan by the governor to sack top civil servants in the state. Meanwhile, Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has perfected the plan to produce the replacement for the current Senate President embattled Bukola Saraki should he be removed by the Code of Conduct Tribunal. Recall that the PDP in a smart deal with Saraki supported him to emerge the Senate president while also producing the deputy senate president.