Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, on Tuesday cleared the air on the emergence of Dr. Hadiza Balarabe, his Muslim running mate for the 2019 governorship election in the state.

The governor, who received in audience the people of Sanga Local Government Area who were at the Sir Kashim Ibrahim Government House, Kaduna, on a thank-you visit for picking their daughter, said the choice of his running mate was based on competence and performance.

He explained that under his administration, there was no room for religious or sentiments in deciding who to appoint into any office in the state, the Punch reports.

“Muslim-Muslim ticket is not a religious ticket but a competent and performance ticket,” the governor said.

El-Rufai had told critics of the Muslim-Muslim ticket that the Government House was not a place for worship but where people work.

The governor added that most of his Muslim-Muslim ticket critics were those who did not vote for him in the 2015 governorship election in the state.

“The people that have criticised me most on this are people who never voted me in the first place. So, are they not supposed to be celebrating it?

“In their own opinion, I have made a wrong choice. Then, why are they mourning?” he asked.

Earlier, the paramount ruler of Numana in Sanga LG where Dr. Hadiza Balarabe hails from, Brigadier-General Aliyu Yamma (Rtd), said the choice of their daughter had given them the hope of being in government.

He sad successive administrations had forgotten the people of the area as far as participation in government was concerned.

“The governor couldn’t have made a better choice than the selection of Hadiza.

“We now feel a sense of belonging in Kaduna government. We are just like Black Americans in Kaduna State,” he said.