By Kingston Magare
Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, Tuesday raised an alarm that President Bola Tinubu’s government officials are planning his arrest and torture.
El-Rufai made this known while responding to a tweet on X by Hon. Imran U. Wakili, @IU_Wakalii. This is coming on the heels of his spat with President Bola Tinunu’s National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu and also his sustained criticism of the Tinubu’s administration.
El-Rufai wrote: “Dear Imran @IU_Wakilii, your post below refers. 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.
“They freaked out when we challenged the legality of the premeditated defamation and went to every length to compromise the judicial process. This is continuing 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 on self-imposed exile. I will not.
“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 comes when Allah destines it, and it is ultimately the fate of every human.
“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. Thanks, @IU_Wakilii, for your concern, but remember that what will be, will always be.”
Meanwhile President Tinubu’s Special Adviser on Policy Communication, Daniel Bwala, has told El-Rufai, to meet with the Tinubu to iron out their differences.
Speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, Bwala said: “El-Rufai has said he has not left the party, so since he is in the party, I think he is not playing opposition—he is probably complaining, and the facts are there in the public domain.
“I see him as somebody with value. We all know what may have happened in the past that made him feel displeased, but I believe the best way to handle the situation is not through grandstanding or aligning with the opposition.
“Most of what El-Rufai has been saying, I do not consider as part of opposition politics because he is not in the opposition. That’s the difference between when I criticized the president and when you are within the party and fighting.
“And because he is a stakeholder and someone, I consider very valuable, my suggestion is for him to meet the president, sit down with him, and discuss these issues privately to resolve them.”
