Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, who has been in the spotlight recently due to his hotly contested Religious bill, has come out to deny the rumour making rounds that he slapped Barnabas Bala, his deputy.
Reports surfaced a couple of days ago that the two men had traded slaps when they disagreed on a situation.
The governor, speaking with reporters in Kaduna, has now tried to clarify matters, denying the slap and even tracing their relationship to 1976.
El-Rufai, said those behind the reports do not have evidence to substantiate their claim, explaining that whenever he travels out of the country, he allows Bala to take over the reins of governance.
“I have never slapped anyone in my life. I have never argued with Bala; I don’t slap people, I fight people with mouth,” he said.
“I have known Bala Bantex since 1976; I’ve never had an argument with him. I respect his opinions, and each time I travel out of the country, I make him the acting governor; he signs documents on my behalf.
“We chair executive council meetings together, we operate like partners, and now people want to create enmity between us. I am of age, I can’t descend so low. This rumour is completely false, it is created to cause division.”