That was exactly the case on Twitter a few days ago when Ben Murray Bruce, the senator representing Bayelsa East and Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, the governor of Kaduna State, decided to ping-pong each other on Twitter.
So, it is no longer news that the President Buhari administration has been saying that the government of former President Goodluck Jonathan was nothing but corruption and looting of the treasury. No infrastructural development, no money in the treasury, zero governance, the list of woeful performances by the immediate past administration according to Buhari’s APC -led government was rather long.
But that is not to say, that the Buhari administration is not wrong as Ben Bruce gleefully used the opportunity to remind the nation after President Buhari inaugurated new rail vehicles for the Kaduna–Abuja train service. The event took place at Rigasa train station in Kaduna on Thursday.
The president also took a train ride from Rigasa to Kakuri on the outskirts of Kaduna to inaugurate Nigeria’s first Inland Dry Port in Kaduna.
Reacting to the news, the senator tweets:
“I hope President @MBuhari remembers to say thank you to former President @GEJonathan for the train ride he enjoyed in Kaduna. Some of us haven’t forgotten that that achievement was ENTIRELY the handiwork of the Jonathan government. Nigeria should give honour to whom honour is due”
— Ben Murray-Bruce (@benmurraybruce) January 4, 2018
But the governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, who accompanied the president during the inauguration and ride wasn’t happy with that reminder. He opted to dismiss the submission a tweet of his own. He says:
“Wrong Distinguished Senator! The Obasanjo administration which Jonathan was not part of, designed, raised the financing and started the EPC of the Lagos-Kano dual track-standard gauge rail system, and the Abuja Light Rail. Yar’Adua-Jonathan stalled both projects for two years!”
— Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai (@elrufai) January 5, 2018
But it didn’t end there. Bruce would not have el-Rufai have the last word. He fired back with a suggestion that the governor’s dislike of late President Yar’adua has clouded his judgment.
He tweets:
“Your dislike of the late Yar’adua may have clouded your judgment. I made no mention of the ‘Abuja light railway’. My tweet referred to the Abuja-Kaduna railway which IS a product of the Jonathan administration. I am happy to publicly debate this with you.”
— Ben Murray-Bruce (@benmurraybruce) January 5, 2018
El-Rufai then descended to name calling and proceeded to attack the credibility of the senator with a tweet, which he sent in response to a Twitter user @MrBanksOmishore who noted that it would be interesting for the governor and the senator to debate the fact.
He says:
“There is nothing to debate. Facts cannot be debated. Opinions are free. While the Obasanjo administration was conceiving the rail modernization programme, Sen Ben-Bruce was organizing beauty contests and Jonathan was a deputy governor. I am not cluelessly common-sensical! “
— Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai (@elrufai) January 6, 2018
Well, a distinguished senator need act with decorum at all times, and that was what Ben Bruce did.
He replies:
“Dear Gov, no need for insults. Construction on Abuja-Kaduna rail began in February 2011 and ended on December 2014. Jonathan built it. These are facts. Yes, I held beauty pageants and produced the first Black Miss World which you and I should be proud of.”
— Ben Murray-Bruce (@benmurraybruce) January 6, 2018
Scoreline: El-Rufai 0: 3 Ben Bruce.
Facts are irrefutable!
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