Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai has insisted to not use a surrogate when it’s time for him to declare his intention for 2019.
He was reacting to a comment by his chief of staff who told a group of youth in the state that the governor was not intending to run for a second term.
“What was reported was that I had no plans to run for another term of office, and will be succeeded by someone below the age of 50,” said El-Rufai in a press release on Sunday.
“Both statements are misrepresentations of my position and the government.”
The governor said he does not need a surrogate to communicate his political intentions to the people of his state.
“In 2014, when I complied with the directive of our leader President Muhammadu Buhari to run for the office of Governor of Kaduna State, I made the announcement in person,” he said.
“I will not communicate my decision to run for a second term in 2019 through surrogates, but directly to the people of Kaduna State.”
On the age limit for his successor, the governor said the Constitution of Nigeria, the Electoral Act and the APC constitution have no provisions imposing maximum age limits for those aspiring to elective office.
“I am a strict law-abiding citizen and loyal party member, and will not countenance anyone even hinting at circumscribing constitutional rights.”
The choice of who governs Kaduna will depend, not on the age of the person, but his or her acceptability by the leaders of our party first, and ultimately the voters of Kaduna State, he said.
He also threatened to fire any of his appointees caught politicking instead of concentrating on their immediate task of serving Kaduna people.
“The mid-point of an administration is not the time for politics. We were elected to work for four years.”
El-Rufai has also directed the signage agency in his state to pull down all billboards bearing campaign messages, in violation of election laws and guidelines.
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