Senator Ben Bruce, PDP – Bayelsa-East, has again fired back at Nasir El-Rufai, Kaduna state governor.
Bruce’s latest reaction is in response to El-Rufai’s tweet that Bruce was organising beauty pageants when the Kaduna–Abuja rail projects were being conceived.
El-Rufai wrote “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!”
Bruce had earlier tweeted: “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.”
Tweeting on Saturday evening, the senator wrote: “Dear governor, no need for insults.
“Construction on Abuja-Kaduna rail began on February 2011 and ended on December 2014. Jonathan built it. These are facts.”
On El-Rufai’s reference to beauty pageants organised by Bruce, the businessman said:
“Yes, I held beauty pageants and produced the first Black Miss World which you and I should be proud of.”
The war of words started when Bruce asked President Muhammadu Buhari to give credit to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan and not take all the glory for every policy and project under his administration.
He spoke after Buhari’s commissioning of new locomotives and rail passenger coaches for the Kaduna–Abuja train service at Rigasa train station in Kaduna.
Bruce, via his Twitter account, reminded the APC government that Jonathan kick-started the project.
“I hope President Muhammadu Buhari remembers to say thank you to former President Goodluck Jonathan 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,” he said.