El-Rufai: I’m on my way back to Nigeria

PREMIUM TIMES can confirm the imminent return to Nigeria of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, contrary to speculations that he is in self-exile.

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Mr El-Rufai, who is expected to arrive in Abuja within the next 48 hours, has also notified the EFCC that he will appear at their office by 10 a.m. on Monday, 16 February, sources close to him told this newspaper.

The former Kaduna governor confirmed his imminent return in a brief interview with PREMIUM TIMES.

Mr El-Rufai travelled abroad on 30 November 2025 after attending social events in Lagos the previous day. During his absence, the EFCC delivered a letter of invitation to his residence in December 2025, fuelling speculation that he could be arrested upon his return to Nigeria.

Since leaving office as governor in 2023, Mr El-Rufai has hardly left the public eye.

PREMIUM TIMES reports that he played a major role in the emergence of President Bola Tinubu as the flagbearer of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), in the build-up to the 2023 presidential election. He championed the demand of many APC governors on the then-President, Muhammadu Buhari, that the party should zone its ticket to the South, particularly the South-west, to honour an unwritten agreement within the party.

READ ALSO: When I married El-Rufai, I did not expect polygamous marriage – Hadiza

When Mr Tinubu assumed office as president, he nominated Mr El-Rufai to become a minister. However, the Senate declined his nomination as minister, allegedly based on a security report, following which he declined to be reconsidered and suggested a former appointee as his replacement.

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READ ALSO: When I married El-Rufai, I did not expect polygamous marriage – Hadiza

He has since fallen out with the president and left the APC last year for the African Democratic Congress (ADC). He has also become one of the most vocal critics of the president.

In March 2024, Mr El-Rufai’s successor as governor, Uba Sani, set in motion a probe into Mr El-Rufai’s tenure. El-Rufai challenged the probe report at the Federal High Court.

However, the EFCC and the ICPC are investigating many of the corruption allegations against Mr El-Rufai and persons who worked with him. The former governor has denied any wrongdoing and has alleged that he is being persecuted.