Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has firmly stated that he will not seek exile despite circulating rumors suggesting he might be arrested and subjected to harsh treatment by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
El-Rufai, who has been embroiled in a public dispute with the Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), dismissed any notion of intimidation. Responding to a post by an X user, Imran Wakili, regarding the alleged plot to arrest him, the former governor affirmed that he would return to Nigeria from Egypt before February 20, 2025.
“I have been hearing these same rumors 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.
“They panicked when we legally challenged the premeditated defamation, making extensive efforts to manipulate the judicial process, which is still ongoing at the Court of Appeal.
“They have sent similar messages of intimidation and threats through many of my friends, family, and political associates because they want me to go into self-imposed exile. I will not.
“I have now suspended all my previous academic and language-learning plans and will spend more time in Nigeria than ever before. Silence is no longer golden, and inaction is not an option.
“The arrest, detention, and torture of perceived political enemies are not new in history. I have been arrested and detained three times in the past for expressing my views about previous governments.
“There is always a morning after any arrest, detention, or torture, and political life continues. As for death, it happens when Allah wills it—it is the ultimate fate of every human.
“For those who are uneasy whenever I am in Nigeria, take note: I plan to return in time for the launch of former President IBB’s memoirs, in sha Allah, scheduled for February 20. We rely on no one but Allah. We fear no mortal but Almighty Allah. We always hope for the best but plan for the worst.”
El-Rufai played a pivotal role in ensuring that the APC’s 2023 presidential ticket was given to a southern candidate, adhering to Nigeria’s unwritten power rotation principle. This came after President Muhammadu Buhari, from the North-West geopolitical zone, had served two terms.
During his tenure as Kaduna governor from May 2015 to May 2023, El-Rufai actively championed the candidacy of former Lagos State Governor Bola Tinubu, standing firm against two northern aspirants—then Senate President Ahmad Lawan and ex-Jigawa State Governor Mohammed Badaru.
His efforts contributed to Tinubu securing the APC ticket and winning the February 2023 presidential election. However, El-Rufai later fell out with the current administration’s power brokers, leading to his rejection by the Senate during the ministerial screening process. The Senate cited security concerns raised by the Department of State Services (DSS) as the reason for his exclusion.
Since his rejection in August 2023, El-Rufai has distanced himself from APC chieftains, Aso Villa, and President Tinubu, whom he vigorously supported during the election campaign.
