USAfrica: U.S “elevates” Buhari’s ally El-Rufai to “a person of interest” over death threat to elections observers

Special to USAfrica multimedia networks [Houston] • USAfricaonline.com

By CHIDO NWANGWU

Despite desperate effort to spin and deny his reckless and inflammatory statement on Nigeria’s national television on Tuesday February 5, 2019, a very close ally of President Buhari’s who is also the Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai continues to draw  local, regional and international backlash.  He threatened some international  elections observers with “intervention” attitude will “go back in body bags.” That means dead. 

Consequently, the Trump administration’s Africa regional security team,

USAfrica and USAfricaonline.com have learned from a reliable source at the U.S Department of State in Washington DC., will on Monday February 11, 2019 “elevate” the radical and controversial El-Rufai to “a person of interest whose actions and incendiary rhetoric hold dangerous security implications” for both the February 16 presidential election and the potential for attacks on international observers in Nigeria.

The official noted that inciting violence places anyone “within the range for trial at the ICC, for crimes against humanity, regardless of your position in government.”

USAfrica reported 10 months ago that U.S President Donald J. Trump, this afternoon Monday April 30, 2018 at the White House, told visiting Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari that his government is not only monitoring and outraged by the facts and “very serious problems with christians who are being murdered, killed in Nigeria.”

The transcription of Trump’s statement by USAfricaonline.com reads:

“We’ve had very serious problems with christians who are being murdered, killed in Nigeria. We’re going to be working on that problem; and working on that problem very, very hard… because we can’t allow that to happen.”

Remarkably, Buhari, a retired army General and dictator/ruler (1984-1986) did not speak a word of condemnation, effectively and directly, to the callous, gruesome and serial murder of the followers of Christ inside the hallowed tabernacles of worship;

The Buhari presidency took sides by supporting El-Rufai’s incendiary comments — drawing the disappointment of the. U.S diplomatic missions and simultaneously, the anger of the Trump White House.