Reason I issued body bag threat —El-Rufai

Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has said that his “body bag” statement was only to caution the international community not to interfere in the country’s election.

The former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was reported to have threatened that those who intervene in the election would “go back in body bags.”

He was said to have made the statement in an interview on NTA during the week.

But El-Rufai while speaking on Oath TV on Friday evening, clarified his stance.

According to him, the government welcomes foreign observers to monitor the election but no foreigner would be tolerated to intervene in the process.

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He said, “The government of Nigeria must invite observers. But if we notice, there is a coordinated plan to delegitmize the election; to already declare the election illegitimate even before they were conducted.

“And it has the support of Nigerian collaborators and foreign interest. And we must speak out.

“We must speak out. And that is what is appearing to be the way the PDP is hobnopping with some of the foreign interests here, we have to make the observation.

“They are here to observe. They are not here to intervene. They are not here to lay the foundations for crisis in Nigeria. Which is what the PDP are preparing for as their last ultimate option and we are aware of it.

“This is the essence of my statement and I don’t want anyone to confuse what I said to mean that Nigerians will kill any foreigner they see”.

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