Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai on Friday denied sending a cryptic message to unsettle President Bola Tinubu-led Presidency, following the Supreme Court judgement that granted autonomy to local governments in Nigeria.
On Thursday, the Supreme Court ruled that all federal funds for local government councils be paid directly into their accounts.
Justice Emmanuel Agim, who led a seven-member panel of justices, delivered the judgment in a suit filed by the federal government against the 36 state governors.
According to the judgment, henceforth, no more payments of local government area allocations will be made to state government accounts.
The court also prohibited the governors from receiving, tampering with, or withholding funds meant for local governments.
Furthermore, the court barred the governors from dissolving democratically elected officials for local governments and deemed such actions a breach of the 1999 Constitution.
But, Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, posted the details of the Supreme Court’s judgement on his X page.
Reacting to the post, El-Rufai said, “From God, we all came and to Him, we shall all return.”
El-Rufai’s post had drawn backlash from some Nigerians who deemed it a cryptic message.
However, the former governor said his message was misinterpreted to mean a cryptic message by those obsessed with him.
Posting on X, El-Rufai wrote: “FRIDAY MESSAGE: It seems to me that my translation of “inna lillahi wa inna ilaihir raa ji’un “ meaning “from God, we all came and to Him, we shall all return” has been reinterpreted by those obsessed with reading me as a “cryptic message” to some unnamed persons.
“It seems to me that the reminder has unsettled some people and distressed a lot more. It is neither a cryptic nor a coded message. Just a reminder of the ultimate accountability and judgment of God, not that of infallible humans.
“I will end it here and today as I do not want to unsettle or distress anyone. Enjoy the weekend. -@elrufai”