Former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai has alleged that the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) is plotting to arrest him for speaking out against the federal government.
Mr El-Rufai, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), made the allegation in a message posted on his X account on Tuesday.
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A handle, @IU_Wakilii, who is a known supporter of Mr El-Rufai, had floated the rumour in a post.
“I am reliably informed that there is a plan to arrest (not invite) Mallam Nasir el-Rufai if he comes back to Nigeria, with another concocted allegation as usual,” the handle stated.
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Responding to the post, the former governor “corroborated” the claim, stating that there is a plan to put him in the same dungeon where former Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, was kept.
“I have been hearing these same rumours of arrest, detention and torture in some dungeon in the NSA’s office (where Emefiele was allegedly tortured to resign as CBN governor) since July 2024, when the so-called report of the Kaduna Assembly began circulating,” Mr El-Rufai stated.
The former governor, did not, however, provide any evidence to back his claim.
He was in the country some few weeks ago but was not arrested.
Background
Mr El-Rufai, a founding member of the APC, has been at loggerheads with the party and the current government since losing out in what many believe to be a power tussle within the government .
He was nominated by the president in 2023 as a minister but was later dropped after failing to pass the Senate confirmation process over alleged security concerns.
Observers believe that the former governor’s inability to pass the screening was due to internal power struggles within Bola Tinubu’s government.
Beyond national politics, Mr El-Rufai’s relationship with his successor, Uba Sani, has also deteriorated.
A few months after the governorship election, a legislative panel in the Kaduna State House of Assembly initiated a probe into alleged financial mismanagement by his administration between 2015 and 2023.
He responded by suing the state government and the state house of assembly for alleged infringement of his rights.
Until recently, Mr El-Rufai had remained silent on these issues. However, in the past few weeks, the former governor has become more confrontational with the ruling party, particularly on social media, where he has been criticising the Tinubu administration and Uba Sani’s government in Kaduna State.
Some of his attacks were directed at the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, who was once his close associate.
About two weeks ago, the former governor also encouraged opposition parties to form a coalition against the ruling APC.
Observers believe that the arrest of Bashir Saidu, Mr El-Rufai’s former chief of staff, explains his confrontational approach.
Meanwhile, the former governor has not declared any intention to leave the ruling party. Similarly, his son, Bello El-Rufai, remains a member of the House of Representatives under the APC.
‘I am pausing my study in Cairo to return to Nigeria’—El-Rufai
The former governor has announced that he plans to suspend his academic activities in Egypt and return home to confront the government.
He also stated that he is not afraid of imprisonment.
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“I have now put all my previous academic and language-learning plans on hold and will spend more time in Nigeria than ever before. Silence is no longer golden. Inaction has never been an option.
“The arrest, detention and torture of perceived political enemies are nothing new in human affairs. I have been arrested and detained thrice in the past for expressing my views on previous governments.
“There is always a morning after the arrest, detention or torture, and political life continues. As for death, it happens when Allah destines it, and it is ultimately the fate of every human,” he stated.
Mr El-Rufai also announced that he will return to Nigeria by 20 February, ahead of the release of former Head of State Ibrahim Babangida’s memoir.
“For the attention of the pathetic characters who don’t sleep well whenever I am in Nigeria, take notice that I intend to return in time for the launch of President IBB’s memoirs, in sha Allah, scheduled for 20th February.
“We depend on no one but Allah. We fear no mortal but Almighty Allah. We always hope for the best but plan for the worst,” he said.
