By Osuji David C

The greatest tragedy to befall a man is when he either lies to himself or constantly lives in denial. In either ways he sentences himself to playing the ostrich, shunning the truth and invariably consumed by self-inflicted malady.

I was therefore stunned when some self styled human rights groups and hack writers ,pretending to be unaware of what was at stake, took to the media space to condemn last Saturday’s protest by some Imo citizens against the offensive presence of a rabid Igbo and Christian hater, Mallam Nasir El Rufai at the grounds of Assumpta cathedral, Owerri.

First, let us be clear on some issues. The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria guarantees freedom of movement and association to all Nigerians. In that wise, El Rufai was entitled to visit Imo State. On the other hand, the same Constitution approves of peaceful assembly and the right to hold a peaceful protest. That also means that those who engaged in that protest were well within their rights.

It should also be noted that those who engaged in that peaceful protest outlined their reasons. At no time did they aver that the protest was targeted at Northerners or Muslims. They cited the unsavoury precedent of El Rufai, who at various times had publicly declared in both words and actions that he was against Ndigbo in particular and Christians in general. It is, therefore, only a fool that will sight a snake coming into his house that will refuse to reach for a weapon to stop it from harming him. Again , the worst thing you can do to a child is to beat him mercilessly and still stop him from crying.

Those who are criticizing the protesters are either ignorant of the “sins” of El Rufai or they are being mischievous. It’s either they are playing to the gallery or they are supporters of the so called coalition seeking vainly on how to unseat President Bola Ahmed Tinubu come 2027, the main reason the former Kaduna state Governor was in Imo State at all.

It should be clarified here that when El Rufai visited the traditional ruler of Nekede, Eze Agumanu ,the previous day, nobody protested his presence. That was to show him hospitality, a scarce commodity in his character. Even when he met with the rag tag ADC members in the state, he was left alone, largely because he had the right to associate with renegades like himself.

But he enraged the protesters when he stepped into the hallowed environment of the Assumpta Catheral, the Metropolitan seat of Owerri Catholic Archdiocese. It was a slap on their faces after the atrocities committed by the former governor against Ndigbo and Christians.

Maybe because those who defend El Rufai have short memories, I will help them to remember certain issues and circumstances where El Rufai exhibited extreme hostility to Christians and Ndigbo. The police officer who led the assassination of the APO six, those young Igbo traders massacred in Abuja, was said to be one of the aides of El Rufai. Until today, the main culprit has not faced justice. Someone helped him to evade justice.

As has been severally confirmed by former Senator Shehu Sani, El Rufai, as the governor of Kaduna State, promoted policies and actions that led to the annihilation of hundreds of Christians from Southern Kaduna. The victims’ families are still crying for justice . They have openly called for the trial of El Rufai for the killings that occurred in the Christian dominated Southern Kaduna for eight long years.

Again ,it was El Rufai who denied Christians the opportunity of being deputy governor in Kaduna state for the first time since the return of democracy in 1999 . That was in 2019 when he chose a Muslim running mate, imposing a Muslim Muslim ticket on the people. His grouse was that Christians were dominating the politics of Plateau state. His successor, Gov Sani, has accused him of engaging in divisive politics that alienated a part of the state. That part is inhabited by Christians.

As the Minister of Federal Capital Territory, El Rufai ordered the largest demolition of property owned by Ndigbo in Abuja. Those Igbos had valid land documents. They were neither compensated nor given alternative land. It was a pure act of wickedness and witch-hunt by a minister against a race.

As if that was not enough, El Rufai publicly declared in 2023 that an Igboman ,in the person of Mr Peter Obi, can not be the president of Nigeria. He conceded that Obi was a good candidate but because he was Igbo and Christian, he was unfit for the job.He campaigned against Obi not only in Kaduna but all the northern States.When the people of southern Kaduna resisted him to vote the Labour Party and Obi, he militarised the entire senatorial zone. His open hatred against Ndigbo and Christians couldn’t have been more exhibited.

It was, therefore, an act of provocation for El Rufai to show his face in a Christian gathering in Igboland. It was hypocritical of him to even suggest inclusivity in national politics, something he had loathed all his life prefering instead of the domination of his tribe and religion against others. If his presence was not offensive and provocative enough, I wonder what else the people could have tolerated.

But his presence at the event of the Odenigbo lecture, a purely Christian ceremony, has raised the questions of who actually invited him and for what purpose. The Catholic Archdiocese of Owerri, the organisers, has denied inviting El Rufai to the event. But the Archbishop, Most Rev Lucius Ugorji took photographs with him. The former governor even boasted that he accompanied the guest lecturer, a Reverend Sister, to the podium. Was that an act of an uninvited guest? The irony is that even some officials of the Archdiocese had called for the arrest of the protesters. Yet ,they keep denying the invitation, which was a direct affront on Christians and which offended the sensibilities of Ndigbo and the protesters.

To the other question, what was the role of Peter Obi on the entire saga? Did El Rufai actually accompany him to the event, or was their meeting coincidental? Did he hug El Rufai out of courtesy, or was it a rapprochement between two desperate politicians united in an unholy alliance to unseat Tinubu? Could Obi be dining with El Rufai just to garner the support of the North, forgetting that the leopard will never shed its spots? Whatever may be his reason, it was a poor judgment on the part of the former Anambra governor.

On the other hand, those who condemn the protesters may not have listened to their messages. They didn’t approve El Rufai’s desecration of a Christian worship centre since he has made himself an enemy of the religion. They also deprecated Obi’s romance with the former Kaduna governor because of his anti Igbo disposition. It has nothing to do with hospitality. It had a lot to do with the defence of their beliefs as Ndigbo and Christians. If what El Rufai did in a Catholic Church in Owerri was done in a mosque in Kaduna state by a Christian, we all know what the consequences would have been. We, therefore, should just stop deceiving ourselves with these deceitful condemnations of the protesters.

Osuji is a former student union leader and writes from Owerri