Gov. Nasir El-Rufai and I are from the same party and he is a governor and I am a senator and he is a technocrat while I’m an activist and a revolutionary. So, my power base is the common people – the masses on the ground. The people are my strength because I lived with them over the years. As far as he (el-Rufai) is concerned, the way he is running the affairs of government in Kaduna State, if care is not taken, we will all sink. He has to take consideration of the fact that you came in and met people that were impoverished, that were muscled, harassed and demoralised by the government of the Peoples Democratic Party.

So, first of all, they don’t need harsh policies that would further impoverish and alienate them. We need to carry them along, taking cognizance of the situation which we find them in. I, fundamentally, differ with him on that issue. For that reason, he has decided on his own not to even appoint people who identified with me in anyway and who are also seen to be from my camp. He is running Kaduna State in such a way that he would end up ruining all of us. He has taken some steps which have only attracted anger from the general public against him; but I can say it very well that Kaduna is a place I have I lived all my life and since I came out of prison in 1998, I have never been out of Kaduna for more than two weeks and I’ve never been appointed to any public office which would entail one living in Abuja and not make one oblivious of what is happening in Kaduna. So, I can tell you that within Kaduna-North, Kaduna-South and the metropolis of Kaduna, there is hardly any street where I don’t know anybody.

When I speak against the governor, I have also spoken against the President and military dictators. I have also been speaking against injustices in the last 30 years and I went to prison for my views. I have seen terror in my life. So, I don’t find anything difficult for me to bring you back when you are going out of order.

– Courtesy: PUNCH