FREEDOMS AND RIGHTS: AYPAD CAUTIONS EL-RUFAI

COMRADE DANJUMA SARKI, PRESIDENT OF AYPAD

The Arewa Youth for Progress and Development, AYPAD a group determined to ensure prudence and transparency by government and its elected officials has condemned the vehemently, the unprecedented intolerance and obnoxious attempt by the Kaduna state Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.

In a press statement issued in Kaduna and signed by Comrade Danjuma Bello Sarki and Abdulhamid Usman; its President and Secretary respectively, AYPAD reiterated its stand against all forms of intolerance and obnoxious attempts by the Kaduna state Governor to stifle free speech and constructive criticism against his government.

According to the release which states that; “it is rather unfortunate that since El-Rufai who was a known critic of past administrations assumed office as the governor of Kaduna State, he has become highly intolerant of any dissenting voice against his administration”.

AYPAD noted that the “recent arrest and detention of Mr. Luka Binniyat, the Bureau Chief of the Vanguard Newspapers on trumped up charges is nothing but an attempt to gag the media and silence his critics in the state. This is apparently undemocratic, crude and uncalled for”.

The release further reads; “It is a known fact that El-Rufai has ordered the arrest of Onyewu Dickson, Abdullahi BZ Barazana, Adamu Abdullahi, John Danfulani PhD, Nasiru Jagaba and others, all in an bid to cow his opposition to silence, despite being a furious critic in the past”. 

Comrade Sarki and his group further accused the Kaduna state Governor that it has become obvious that, “in an attempt to shut down dissenting voices, the Governor of Kaduna State has threatened and written to the media houses of all journalists critical of his administration to either be silence or transferred out of the state”

The Youth Group reiterated its awareness “that Mallam el-Rufai has made several attempts to allegedly, silence Luka Binniyat of the Vanguard Newspapers and others to no avail hence, this new conspiracy to intimidate him”.

The question we keep asking is what is he trying to achieving or hide by all this? It wondered.

However, “AYPAD has called on all members of the Fourth Estate of the Realm and other well meaning citizens to remain steadfast and resolute in their quest for objective reporting and criticism, despite these harassment and oppression”

Describing the moves by the state governor as the height of tyranny and oppression, AYPAD called on the people to condemn in totality this heinous act.