Former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and Deputy National Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, said on Saturday that President Goodluck Jonathan was playing ethnic and religious politics to divert attention from bad governance.

El-Rufai, who was guest of the week at a Liberty Radio programme in Kaduna on Saturday, warned that Nigeria could not afford another Civil War.

Besides, he said the Peoples Democratic Party was afraid of former Head of State, Gen. Mohammadu Buhari, and would therefore do everything possible to denigrate him.

El-Rufai said, “It is the political strategy of Jonathan to always use ethnicity and religion whenever there is a problem.

“Whenever there is a big issue about excess crude account or subsidy issue, they bring this issue of ethnicity and religion. But I have not lost hope because I know that Nigerians can see through their pranks and their game and will vote them out in the next election. The challenge for the next president is to build trust among the various ethnic groups so that Nigeria can walk towards one direction.

“This country has gone through one Civil War; I don’t know of any country that can survive two civil wars and those that are stealing crude oil; buying and stockpiling arms should know it is not the number of arms you have that decides who wins a war.

“I know that Nigeria will survive these bad and incompetent leaders, who steal during the day and drink and womanise at night instead of working for the Nigerian people.

“The PDP has evolved from a party that is trying to be democratic in its practices and to have decency in its governance to one that has become a danger to the people of Nigeria and the only person they are afraid of, who is their nightmare, is Gen. Buhari.

“So, anytime Buhari makes a statement or does anything, the PDP machine will be at work to twist whatever he says in other to destroy his character and give the impression that he is a religious and ethnic zealot.

“The truth is that the PDP is scared of Buhari`s integrity and his track record of doing the right thing and ensuring that people are brought to justice when they break the law. They are scared of that day when he will become President because they are afraid that he will call them and ask them the source of their unexplainable wealth.”