The ex-governors arrived at the State House separately.

Wike entered the presidential wing of Aso Rock at about 1:40 p.m. while El-Rufai came in at about 2 p.m.

The two are ministerial nominees and have both been screened by the Senate.

While Wike has been confirmed, El-Rufai is yet to get the nod of the Senate as his confirmation was put on hold over an alleged security report.

The Kaduna state Governor who revealed that the southern caucus of the ruling party will decide which part of the area the candidate will come from, also disclosed in an interview on Channels Television that the national chairmanship position in the ruling party will be taken by the Northern region

El-Rufai said;“Our expectation is that our presidential candidate will come from somewhere in the south.it is up to the southern caucus of the APC to now propose to us an acceptable candidate.That would be a different conversation. I’ll explain to him why I don’t think it’s a good idea but of course, if he insists, I will. But I’m tired, i’m physically tired because I do take my work seriously. For the last eight years, I’ve worked myself flat out and I’m not young anymore. I’ll be 63 next year. So I prefer to look at other options to contribute to the development of my country but of course, I didn’t want to run for Governor but the President insisted so if he insists that I do something I have so much regard for him and his judgement that I’ll do it even reluctantly”

The Kaduna state Governor who was represented at the foundation laying ceremony for the permanent site of the Kaduna Centre for the Study of Christian–Muslim Relations, held in Kaduna on Wednesday December 8 by his Deputy, Hadiza Balarabe, stated that “understanding and spiritual guidance in these perilous times cannot be overemphasized.”

El-Rufai said; “Kaduna State has suffered too much from religious conflicts. The need for quality religious education, understanding and spiritual guidance in these perilous times cannot be overemphasized.It is very important that we continue to support and encourage centres like this in their effort to produce many persons that are properly educated about their own religion as well as the faith of others. This is a significant contribution to religious harmony and cultivating respect for our common humanity.”

Ortom in a statement released by his media aide Terver Akase alleged that the Kaduna state Governor is a sycophant, ethnic champion and religious bigot who hates anyone who does not share the same faith with him.

The statement read “We read the statement credited to Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai in which he accused Governor Samuel Ortom of using the insecurity in his state to attack the Federal Government in order to cover up what he termed as the Benue State Governor’s failure. We want to believe that El-Rufai was wrongly quoted. A man who has failed in several aspects as Governor of Kaduna has no moral justification to accuse another Governor. A Governor who has divided the good people of Kaduna against one another by not hiding his hatred of indigenes of the state on account of religion and ethnicity is not qualified to judge another Governor on any issue whatsoever. A Governor who chose a Muslim deputy in a state where Christians have a huge population is certainly not one to preach unity and peaceful co-existence. El-Rufai’s attack on Governor Ortom is merely to make him look good before the Presidency. He has apparently fallen out of favour at the Villa and wants to use Governor Ortom as a launchpad back to reckoning. How has he handled his own problems in Kaduna? This is a man who has insulted almost every prominent Nigerian including the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua and former President Olusegun Obasanjo; a man who is his former boss and one who brought him to the limelight. Nigerians have not forgotten the unprintable things El-Rufai said during Goodluck Jonathan’s time as President. He insulted the then President and publicly supported terrorists attacking parts of the country. His statements on the abduction of Chibok girls and several other acts of terrorism are still fresh in our minds. El-Rufai is on record to have said repeatedly that Fulani people must retaliate for any wrong done to them no matter how long it takes. Is Governor Ortom responsible for El-Rufai’s inability to ensure peace in Kaduna State where bandits have taken over some communities while kidnappings and killings occur on daily basis? El-Rufai admitted to paying Fulani herdsmen whom he invited from other West African countries in the name of stopping attacks in Southern Kaduna. Since he made the confessional statement, attacks on the people of Southern Kaduna have escalated. This is why he wants men of good conscience like Governor Ortom to be silent to pave way for the conquest and expansion agenda to succeed. Kidnapping has become a common crime in Kaduna State under Nasir el-Rufai.  Aside from the much-celebrated cases, it has been estimated that at every given time, not less than 300 persons are abducted in Kaduna by kidnappers who are always identified as El-Rufai’s kinsmen. He pays them billions to embolden them. He has turned the state into one of the most unsafe places to live in Nigeria today. Talking about taking someone seriously, if other Nigerians take El-Rufai seriously, we in Benue do not do the same. A man who has no regard for humanity does not deserve our attention. Nasir el-Rufai is a sycophant, ethnic champion and religious bigot who hates anyone who does not share the same faith with him. He is among the very few persons who have misled President Muhammadu Buhari. El-Rufai is one of the real enemies of this country who do not hide their divisive tendencies by elevating nepotism and ethnicity above the good values that have held Nigeria together over the decades. Nasir el-Rufai doesn’t possess the credentials to counsel anyone on payment of salaries and the welfare of workers. This is a Governor who recently sacked 4,000 workers for no just cause. He ought to be ashamed of himself. What happened to the lofty promises he made to the Kaduna people in 2015? The Kaduna Governor should know that only two days ago, the people of Benue State met at stakeholders meeting in Makurdi and unanimously passed a vote of confidence on Governor Ortom in recognition of his performance. That meeting was attended across party lines with leaders of All Progressives Congress, APC also present. El-Rufai and his conspirators must note that Benue State will not repeal the Open Grazing Prohibition and Ranches Establishment Law, no matter the amount of blackmail, hatred and threats they wage against Governor Ortom. We advise the Kaduna State Governor to focus on addressing the numerous problems he has created in his state and leave Governor Ortom to lead Benue in peace”.

Speaking after a video of Ortom addressing protesters after some killings in Benue State was played during a webinar organised by the Africa Leadership Group, El-Rufai stated that the Benue state Governor is not someone he takes seriously.

El-Rufai said “I did not hear what Governor Ortom said (in the video) but I know him and he is not somebody I take very seriously, frankly. He has other issues of governance that he is using the Federal Government as a punching bag to distract attention from his failures. Go and find out how many months’ salaries are being owed by teachers and public servants in Benue State then you can understand a lot of what Ortom is doing. We have a serious national problem. I wouldn’t say we are totally helpless but we are in a situation where the Armed Forces and the police have lost significant confidence in themselves and their institutions”

El-Rufai disclosed this during his appearance on Channels Television’s Sunday Politics, stating that his administration would not negotiate with bandits.

“It has been established that the kidnapping operations (by bandits) are substantially funding Boko Haram activities in the North East.

“Boko Haram has no way of getting any money and some of them have slipped and joined the ranks of the bandits, and together they are doing this to raise a large amount of money that are being used to fund the intensified operations of Boko Haram,” he said.

The governor decried that banditry and insurgency have evolved with time into what he described as a business and a structured industry.

He explained that this was so as the criminals now have various specialised roles within their ranks which enable them to attack communities.

Governor El-Rufai listed such roles to include informants, petrol suppliers, truck suppliers, food suppliers, suppliers of weapons and ammunition, and doctors who treat insurgents who sustain bullet wounds during attacks.

He stressed that it won’t have been possible for Book Haram to get such money to carry out their  operations in the North East without the help of bandits in the North West.

Commenting on if the bandits could be tagged as terrorists, El-Rufai said, “Absolutely, no doubt about it. This is a position we have held in Kaduna State as far back as two and half years ago.

“We insisted that these are insurgents, they are terrorists; they are fighting the sovereignty to Nigeria and we must treat them as such.

“The bulk of the money is going into terrorist financing; there is a branch of ISWAP called Ansar-Ur that is congregating in the forest in Birnin Gwari, led by a man and their objectives are very similar to Boko Haram, except that they are not against western education,” he added.

The Kaduna State Governor who spoke at a virtual event organised by World Bank Nigeria stated that the domestic debt was getting to its debt ceiling as far as liquidity was concerned and there’s no need to pretend that Nigeria’s debt-to-gross Domestic Product ratio was still low.

He said “You can’t fund security more than you are doing now unless you reduce spending on other ministries, departments and agencies. The extensive way in which the Central Bank is into everything, I think, has to be addressed and dealt with. And we must look at our domestic debt management and do something about it. It is getting out of control and we are getting to our debt ceiling as far as liquidity is concerned. And to pretend that our debt-to-GDP ratio is still low, I think is not the answer to the question. It is a travesty that in Nigeria, as at 2018, just about 20 people in the whole country paid more than N20m in income tax. It is a travesty and something should be done. I think that rich Nigerians don’t pay taxes. They live in huge houses, drive expensive cars but when you see their tax return, you realise that the civil servants on grade level 12 pay more income tax than they do.”

The petition, which was initiated by a former Presidential aide, Reno Omokri, on Tuesday, was addressed to the UK Parliament, the UK Prime Minister, Boris Johnson; Council of the European Union and the European Parliament.

Omokri, who initiated the petition, accused el-Rufai of being a threat to the peace and security of Nigeria for many reasons.

He noted that on December 3, 2016, the governor admitted that he paid herdsmen who had been accused of killing several persons.

Omokri said “Since that admission, there has been an intense escalation of the killings of mostly Christians in Kaduna, and on August 25, 2020, suspected herdsmen abducted seven schoolchildren and their teacher from Prince Academy, in Kaduna. They have not been seen or heard of since then. On February 6, 2019, he threatened foreign observers, including observers from the EU and UK with death, warning that they would return in body bags should they intervene in Nigeria. On July 15, 2012, Nasir El-Rufai said, and I quote ‘We will write this for all to read. Anyone, soldier or not that kills the Fulani takes a loan repayable one day no matter how long it takes.’ This threat has been carried out in Southern Kaduna where there is an ongoing genocide of Christians under el-Rufai’s watch. It is for this reason that Nigerian citizens call on the government of the United Kingdom and the European Union Presidency to follow the lead of the United States and place a visa ban on Nasir El-Rufai, who is scheming to become Nigeria’s President, to prevent a Rwandan style genocide in Nigeria,”

The Ecclesiastical Province in a statement released by its secretary John Niyiring stated that the region has been abandoned by their Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in their grief.

The statement read “Crises test the will of a leader. At times like these, emotions are not enough. At times like this, a leader must seek out support by adopting the twin-track of diplomacy, using backroom channels and keeping an eye on restoring peace. Like the mother of twins, a leader at times like these must not be seen to be sleeping on one side! As with the federal government, we believe that the state government could do more in terms of showing empathy to the victims of this crisis. The people of Southern Kaduna feel abandoned by their Governor in their grief. We appreciate that these times test the will of any leader, but there is no substitute for sobriety, calm and focus Governor El-Rufai should consult across the spectrum, have the patience of listening even to those who do not agree with him and focus on persuasion and consensus-building across the divide. We encourage him to visit the scenes of these tragedies and use the opportunity of condolences to scold as well as appeal to the hearts of his people.  In the last few years, the purveyors of this violence have taken over the land and placed our security forces on the defensive. Hitherto, the nation’s main challenge was how to contain the dreaded terrorist group, Boko Haram.  Two years ago, the military announced that it had degraded Boko Haram and basked in the euphoria that Boko Haram was no longer holding Nigerian territory. But our joy was short-lived as the story has progressively gotten far worse. Today, almost the entire Northern states are in the grip of these purveyors of violence and death. In the last three years, we have witnessed the relentless attacks and ransacking of entire communities by bandits in states like Benue, Kebbi, Plateau, Kaduna, Katsina, Nasarawa, Niger, Sokoto, Zamfara… All our communities still bear huge injuries and scars. We call on our governors to remain relentless in seeking to end this tragedy with greater urgency, dedication and sincerity. There have been attempts at negotiations with these criminals by some governors and in some cases, huge sums of money have been paid.”

According to a statement released by the Commissioner for Education, Shehu Mohammed, the state governor, Nasir El-Rufai, gave the approval to enable the students to write their West African Senior School Certificate Examination (WASSCE) slated for August 17, 2020. Mohammed directed all secondary school principals to make arrangements to receive SS3 boarding students on August 9 and day students on August 10 respectively.

He said “The guidelines include reduced hours of work/revision to 4 hours per shift, strict social distancing both in the classes, laboratories, libraries and hostels, consistency of temperature monitoring and handling any suspected case of COVID 19 case to the health authorities”

The Commissioner also advised all administrators of public and private schools in the state to use the one week period to make adequate preparation and put all COVID-19 guidelines in place.