Nasir El-Rufai: I’ve Not Determined If I’m Operating For President
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has mentioned he has but to resolve whether or not he’ll contest the presidency, dismissing the controversy surrounding an alleged try and arrest him on the Abuja Worldwide Airport as a part of a broader political battle linked to his perceived 2027 ambition.
Talking in an interview on Come up Information on Friday, El-Rufai mentioned the actual concern was not the airport incident however what he described as “a sustained marketing campaign of political persecution” amid hypothesis about his future political plans.
“I’ve not determined if I’m operating for president or not,” he mentioned. “However clearly, there are individuals who suppose I’m, and they’re appearing accordingly.”
His feedback got here a day after safety operatives moved to detain him upon arrival from Cairo, in an incident that has since triggered fierce political controversy.
Recounting the incident, El-Rufai alleged that about 50 operatives of the Division of State Companies (DSS) have been deployed to detain him with out presenting a warrant.
“Effectively, I got here out of the airplane, and a younger man that’s well-dressed with a pleasant go well with got here to me and mentioned, ‘I’m from the DSS, Division of State Companies. I want to meet with you in our workplace.’ I mentioned, ‘That’s nice. The place is the a call for participation?’ He mentioned, ‘My bosses have it. I’ll escort you to them.’ I mentioned, ‘I’m going via immigration. I’ve to do this. Simply get me the letter.’”
He continued:“So he mentioned, okay. However I seen that as I began going, an increasing number of folks got here out… Apparently, that they had moved about 50 DSS operatives to the airport with the precise directions that I must be detained, I must be kidnapped and detained.”
El-Rufai mentioned he refused to comply with the officers with out a formal letter.
“They mentioned, ‘We’re from the DSS, sir, we’re going this manner. We have to go to your workplace.’ I mentioned, ‘I’m not going to your workplace. I’m not going anyplace till you present me a a call for participation.’”
“I mentioned, ‘Even the president can not inform me I’ve to do something. It’s a free nation, it’s a democratic nation, and I don’t should do something that I don’t want to do.’”
In response to him, after his passport was stamped by immigration, officers allegedly tried to grab it.
“They got here up with a second rip-off, ‘The place is your passport?’ I mentioned, ‘It’s simply been stamped.’ … One in every of my aides rapidly took it away from me… That’s the aide that acquired crushed up they usually seized the passport from him.”
He added: “If I had the passport with me, I’d not be speaking this.”
El-Rufai warned that such actions danger eroding public belief in safety companies.
“As soon as folks start to lose confidence within the neutrality of such establishments, we’re on our solution to anarchy.”
Clarifying earlier stories, El-Rufai insisted that the {Economic} and {Financial} Crimes Fee (EFCC) was not liable for the airport incident.
“I wish to say very clearly, it wasn’t the EFCC, okay? It was the DSS. However the DSS have been procured to abduct me by the ICPC.”
He mentioned the EFCC had written to him whereas he was overseas, requesting a gathering.
“The EFCC had written to me whereas I used to be away and mentioned, ‘We want to have a chat with you over sure points.’ And I replied… that I’m on my annual trip. As soon as I do know the date of return, I’ll let .”
“We’ve written to EFCC to say that I’ll rejoice my birthday with you. My birthday is 16 February. I’ll rejoice my birthday. I’ll come and see you at 10am on the sixteenth.”
He alleged that the Impartial Corrupt Practices and Different Associated Offences Fee (ICPC) had as a substitute procured the DSS to detain him.
“This can be a modus operandi of the ICPC that more and more has turn into a private instrument of Nuhu Ribadu. Nuhu made the decision and made the order that I have to be in custody yesterday.”
Pressed on how he knew this, he mentioned: “He made the decision as a result of we listened to their calls… The federal government thinks they’re the one ones that take heed to calls. However we even have our methods.”
He added that the ICPC ultimately delivered a proper invitation letter to his residence.
“Now that you just’ve written an invite, you’ve had the braveness to put in writing an invite, we’ll honour the invitation.”
El-Rufai described the investigations towards him as a continuation of earlier political persecution.
“I’ve 16 years’ report of public service and I’ve challenged each Nigerian that has labored with me or is aware of me to return ahead and expose me if I’ve ever taken a bribe or demanded a bribe or completed something illegal.”
He referenced his e-book, The Unintentional Public Servant, detailing previous investigations underneath a earlier administration.
“On this newest spherical of persecution… they’ve investigated me since June 2023 in Kaduna and have provide you with nothing.”
“They’ve arrested my former Chief of Workers, my Commissioner of Finance, my Commissioner of Native Authorities… They’ve tried to pin issues on them. They’ve charged them to court docket. Many of the fees are frivolous and I’m fairly assured they’ll lose.”
Boluwatife Enome
Times Nigeria