FORMER Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu of planning to eliminate key northern politicians ahead of the 2031 presidential election.
Speaking during an interview on ARISE Television, on Monday, February 24, El-Rufai alleged that Ribadu was using anti-corruption agencies to target him and tarnish his reputation as part of a scheme to clear the path for his presidential bid.
“This project of destroying Nasir el-Rufai is Nuhu Ribadu’s conception. He is the architect and builder of that project. He is the one working with Uba Sani (Kaduna State Governor and El-Rufai’s successor) to implement it. So far, it has been frustrating for them.
“Somebody wants to destroy my reputation. Why? Nuhu Ribadu wants to be president in 2031. He has to eliminate every northerner that he thinks is on the radar,” he said.
According to him, Ribadu has been leveraging the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to coerce officials into implicating him in corruption claims.
“In fact, what they have resorted to doing is to call low-level people and some of my officials to say ‘implicate El-Rufai and your problems will go away’. This is what ICPC has become,” El Rufai said.
He maintained that the corruption allegations against his administration, particularly the claim of siphoning N423 billion, had been investigated without any evidence of wrongdoing.
“My administration was accused of siphoning N423 billion; the ICPC has investigated and found nothing. They are asking lower officials to implicate me,” he further claimed.
El-Rufai suggested that his refusal to be sidelined politically made him a target, emphasising that he had no plans to retire from politics and might consider another platform if the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) continued to drift from its founding principles.
He further expressed concerns over the party’s failure to uphold its foundational mission, stating that internal democracy within the APC had collapsed.
“I am not ready to retire from politics, so sooner or later, I may have to find another platform to pursue those progressive values that I believe in if I can’t find them in the APC,” he warned.
However, the former governor ruled out the possibility of joining the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), stating that the party was not an option for him.
“One thing I can tell you for sure is that PDP is not a party that I will go to, ever. In fact, if anything, PDP has gotten worse, so you can rule that out. Other parties? Possibly.”
He also dismissed speculations that his recent political activities were geared toward a presidential bid, maintaining that he had not begun consultations for any political office.
Ribadu dismisses allegations
Meanwhile, Ribadu, in a statement, denied El-Rufai’s allegations against him, stating that he remained focused on his duties as the NSA and had no interest in engaging in political battles with El-Rufai.
“If my silence wouldn’t risk being construed as consent, I would have ignored him. I am too preoccupied with my current assignment as to get into a media fight with Nasir El-Rufai or anyone else,” he said.
He also refuted claims that he was using federal agencies to target northern politicians ahead of the 2031 elections, insisting that he had never discussed any presidential ambition.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I want to put it on record that I have never discussed running for president in 2031 with anybody. All my focus and energy are geared completely towards the advancement of Nigeria and the success of the President Tinubu administration,” Ribadu said.
The ICIR reports that El-Rufai’s remarks came amid continued criticism of the ruling APC, which he co-founded, and his call for opposition parties to unite against the current administration.
The former governor has had a fallout with the Tinubu government following his rejection during screening for a ministerial slot in 2023 due to “security concerns” raised by the National Assembly.
But El-Rufai dismissed the claim, noting that the president deliberately excluded him from his cabinet.
Mustapha Usman is an investigative journalist with the International Centre for Investigative Reporting. You can easily reach him via: musman@icirnigeria.com. He tweets @UsmanMustapha_M