Youths under the aegis of the Nigerian Ethnic Nationalities Youth Leaders Forum (NENYLF) have vowed to press legal charges against Kaduna state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, over the statement credited to him purportedly saying that foreigners who interfere in Nigeria’s elections would go back home in body-bags.
The Secretary of the forum, who is also President of Yoruba Council of Youths Worldwide Aremo Oladotun Hassan said adequate legal action would be taken against El-Rufai at the International Court of Justice.
“Our position is that the statement credited to Mallam el-Rufai is seditious, treasonable and a hate speech capable of breaching the peace.
“We are not going to fold our arms and allow one man to throw the entire country into confusion. Adequate legal action would be taken against him at the International Court of Justice”, said Hassan.
Also speaking, the National President of the Arewa Youth Consultative Council, who is also an indigene of Kaduna state, Yerima Shettima, said El-Rufai is a “drowning, frustrated man”.
Shettima said Arewa youths have come of age and are now well-informed to reject being used as tools of destruction.
The NENYLF urged the government to conduct free, fair, credible and non-violent elections.
In his remarks, the President of the Forum who doubled as the President of the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC), Barr. Oweilami Pereotubo, expressed concern over the independence of INEC to act rightly without undue interference.
Barr. Pereotubo said the youths would resist any attempt to short-change the electorate in the coming election because of the present risk of manipulation.
He said just like their leaders in Afenifere, and Ohanaeze Ndigbo among others, the youth also backed the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, for his genuine concern about restructuring of the nation.
Ethnic nationalities represented by their leaders include the Arewa Youth Consultative Council represented by Yerima Shettima, the Ohaneze Youth Council represented by Nazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, the Yoruba Council of Youths represented by Aremo Oladotun Hassan, the Ijaw Youth Council represented by Barr. Oweilami Pereotubo, the Anioma Youth Council also represented by Comrade Enoh Marcus, and the President, Efik Youths Worldwide, Comrade Bassey Henshaw, among others.
