Kaduna Students Pass Vote Of No Confidence On El-Rufai

The southern Kaduna youth and students forum (SKYSFOM) has passed a vote of no confidence on Nasir el-Rufai, the state governor, Galadima Jesse, the group’s president says.

In a statement issued on Monday in Kaduna, Jesse said a total of 3,753 students in the zone passed the vote against the governor.

According to the SKYSFOM president, the no confidence votes stems from the refusal of the governor to reopen schools in the troubled region.

Recall that the Kaduna State government had in 2016 closed down schools in the area, following clashes between farmers and herders in the area.

The state government had, last year, closed the schools for “security reasons” following the crisis in the area.

Jesse questioned the governor’s intent on closing the schools, asking if the government is “desperately bent on using state power to express its hate over southern Kaduna by punishing us?”

He stated that the senate had directed security agencies to reopen the University of Maiduguri, Borno state, following a terrorist attack in the school.

“Must our institutions in Southern Kaduna be different?,” he asked.

“Why is kaduna state government making things so complex as if Southern Kaduna is still in crisis.

“Having found no rational reason to the indefinite closure of our schools, we resorted to the vote of no confidence exercise against Governor Nasir El-Rufai.

“After all collation was officially closed, a total of 3,753 members satisfactorily signed the register for the passage of the vote of no confidence in the leadership and its negative posture to our members.

“This outcome is indeed remarkable, that in such a short time, giving the hardship by our poor members to either vote online or to travel to our designated points of voting.”

The students also gave the state government till July 19, 2017, to reopen the schools, adding that failure to do that, it would be forced to take “a different legitimate action”.