Nigerian Senators expressed anger Tuesday over the demolition of a house belonging to the Senator representing Kaduna North, Suleiman Hunkuyi, by the state government.
Reporting the incident to the Senate, Senator Shehu Sani told his colleagues that Governor Nasir El-Rufai allegedly led a team of soldiers and policemen to 11, Sambo Road, Kaduna to demolish a house belonging to Hunkuyi.
Sani noted that it had become obvious that members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State “cannot accommodate somebody who has the tendencies of Adolf Hitler, Mobutu Sese Seko and Nebuchadnezzar.”
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who presided over senate session, said Sani’s report was not open to debate.
According to Ekweremadu, “This is not open to debate. We need to condemn this action. I send my sympathies to Hukunyi. This democracy has no place for tyranny and impunity. If we decide to go on the road of democracy, we must accept some of the things that come with it. One is the rule of law. If we have any grievances, we should use the courts.
“This is why some Nigerians are opposed to the issue of immunity for public office holders. I think this is something we need to watch. As we approach 2019 general elections, we must appeal to politicians not to overheat the polity and imperil our democracy. I hope this should be the last. Our courts can be trusted to deliver justice. We hope this will not happen again.”
Sani told the Senate: “I stand to formally report something. As early as 4am on Tuesday, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State led a team of soldiers and policemen to Number 11, Sambo Road in the state. He supervised the demolition of our new APC office. The said property belongs to Senator Suleiman Hukunyi (Kaduna North).
“This is coming one year after the same governor demolished a house belonging to the vice chairman of APC in North West, Abdulkadir. This is a series of brigandage and tyranny carried out by the governor against opposition voices.
“Governor El-Rufai is an affliction on the Kaduna State. He is a curse to us. We want to call on Buhari to caution his son. If this crisis is not nipped in the bud, it will grow into something bigger. We in Kaduna State cannot accommodate somebody who has the tendencies of Adolf Hitler, Mobutu Sese Seko and Nebuchadnezzar.”
Speaking to reporters in Abuja, Sen. Hunkuyi described the demolition as “bizarre, rare and unimaginable decisions”.
“My property, which doubles as the state APC office in Kaduna is part of my contribution to the party; the structure of leadership of the party has been brought down.
“This action was carried out with his supervision. I have no case, I have forgiven him as a person. I am not joining issues with him, and he is my brother.
“There are concurrent issues that go with his act. What will he be doing at the site at that time of the day?
“To me, if the intention is to shut Hunkuyi down, it has given me more reason to believe and stand strongly with majority of the electorate. This should not have happened but it has happened. Let that be an incident for growth of democracy in my constituency.
“Should I bear the consequences of bringing him to leadership? Is it too much price to pay? People like that have no business in executive position.”
