Tag: Nasir El-Rufai

“Why I rejected el-Rufa’i as my successor” – Obasanjo

Aminu Imam
Obasanjo on el Rufai

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has disclosed that he turned down a suggestion to endorse former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as his successor in 2007. Speaking yesterday at a public event, Obasanjo recounted how former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, had once proposed el-Rufa’i as a suitable replacement for him at the end of his tenure. Recall that el-Rufa’i had served under Obasanjo’s administration first as Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) and later as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between 2003 and 2007. When Obasanjo…

Read More

“Retract your lies on Tinubu or face the people’s wrath” – Northern Minorities blast el-Rufa’i

Aminu Imam
Northern Minorities blast el Rufa’i

The Northern Nigeria Minorities Group (NNMG) has torn into former Kaduna governor Nasir el-Rufa’i over his claim that President Bola Tinubu is scheming to elongate his stay in power, branding the allegation “reckless, malicious and dangerous to national unity”. In a statement on Tuesday, Convener Chief Jacob Edi dismissed el-Rufa’i as “a bitter politician turned content creator”, accusing him of spreading lies out of frustration at being left out of Tinubu’s cabinet. “If el-Rufa’i had been appointed, would he still be making these wild allegations? Everyone knows the answer,” the…

Read More

“Tinubu worse than military; wants to be Nigeria’s Paul Biya!” – El-Rufa’i 

Aminu Imam
El Rufa'i on Asiwaju

…“He needs counselling” – Presidency hits back Former Kaduna State governor Nasir el-Rufa’i has launched a blistering attack on President Bola Tinubu’s administration, branding it “worse than any military regime” and warning that the President harbours ambitions to become “Nigeria’s Paul Biya”. Speaking while hosting former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar in Kaduna over the weekend, el-Rufa’i accused the Tinubu government of centralizing power, stifling opposition, and betraying the democratic ideals of federalism. He declared that unless Nigerians unite to remove Tinubu in 2027, the president could attempt to perpetuate himself in…

Read More

El-Rufa’i’s ’22 Sins’: Civic Group links ex-Gov. to Shi’ite massacre, ₦423bn fraud, divisive politics

Aminu Imam
Northern youths on el Rufa'i

…Warns Nigerians not to repackage him for 2027 The Kaduna Leadership and Accountability Assembly, (KLAA), has urged Nigerians to reject any attempt to “rebrand” former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufa’i ahead of the 2027 elections, accusing him of a legacy marked by violence, corruption, and religious intolerance. In a statement issued yesterday, KLAA spokesperson, Hadiza Mohammed Umar, listed what the group described as “22 sins” of el-Rufa’i, insisting his record in power disqualified him from future leadership. The civic group accused the former governor of direct responsibility for the 2015…

Read More

“Master of contradiction; you once supported, paid bandits” – Presidency blasts el-Rufa’i

Aminu Imam
Presidency slams el Rufa'i

The Presidency has accused former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufa’i, of double standards in his position on negotiations with bandits. In a post on X on Monday, Presidential spokesman, Bayo Onanuga, described el-Rufa’i as a “master of ambivalence”. He alleged that the former governor once spearheaded the payment of bandits in a bid to restore peace, but now criticizes such measures for political reasons. He said: “Nasir el-Rufa’i is the master of ambivalence. Once upon a time, he supported and led the way in paying bandits to calm them. Today,…

Read More

NGO drags el-Rufa’i to EFCC over alleged ₦10bn school feeding scam, ₦4.5bn farmers’ fund missing, $6m vanished loan vanished

Aminu Imam
NGO drags el Rufa'i to EFCC2

…Warns EFCC of legal action if probe is ignored A non-governmental organisation (NGO), Transparency Honesty Disclosure Trust (THDT), has filed a public interest petition to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), demanding the probe of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufa’i, over what it described as “massive corruption, mismanagement, and reckless looting of public funds” during his 8-year tenure. In the petition, dated September 8, 2025, THDT cited the Kaduna State House of Assembly’s June 6, 2024 report, which it said exposed procurement frauds, inflated contracts, diversion of billions,…

Read More

El-Rufa’i blasts Kaduna  Police, rejects summon over ADC meeting

Aminu Imam
El Rufa’i Kaduna Police

…Says CP ‘violating Constitution’ Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufa’i, has come out swinging against the Kaduna State Police Command after being summoned over a disrupted African Democratic Congress (ADC) meeting. Police had sealed the ADC venue, accusing el-Rufa’i and seven others of criminal conspiracy, incitement, mischief and causing grievous hurt. The Command ordered the ADC chairman to produce el-Rufa’i at the State CID on September 8. El-Rufa’i, however, fired back at a press conference yesterday, describing the summon as illegal, unconstitutional and politically motivated. “The commissioner knows what he…

Read More

Alleged  criminal activities: Kaduna Police summon el-Rufa’i, 7 other ADC leaders for questioning

Aminu Imam
Police summon el Rufa'i

Kaduna State Police Command has invited former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufa’i, alongside several prominent members of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), for questioning over alleged criminal conspiracy, incitement of public disturbance, mischief, and causing grievous hurt. A police letter, dated September 4, 2025, and signed by the Deputy Commissioner of Police in-charge of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Uzainu Abdullahi, directed the ADC Kaduna State Chairman to produce El-Rufai and six other party members at the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID) on September 8, 2025. Those listed in…

Read More

Mahdi Shehu accuses el-Rufa’i of paying bandits during his tenure as Gov.

Aminu Imam
Mahdi Shehu accuses

Human rights activist, Mahdi Shehu, has accused former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufa’I, of hypocrisy over his recent comments on the country’s security strategies. Reacting to el-Rufa’i’s interview, Shehu described it as ironic for the ex-governor to criticise the incumbent governor, Uba Sani and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribaɗu, for allegedly making payments to bandits, when, according to him, el-Rufa’i himself once admitted to taking similar steps. Shehu cited a report which noted that el-Rufai’s administration had tracked armed herders in neighbouring countries and provided compensation to halt attacks…

Read More

Hate Speech: “Declare el-Rufa’i global persona-non-grata” – Rights group urges USA, UK

Aminu Imam
Group urges USA, UK

A human rights advocacy group, the Transparency and Accountability Network (TAN), has appealed to United Nations (UN) and world powers to declare former Kaduna state Governor, Nasir el-Rufa’i global ‘persona non grata’.  The group also called on the international community to slam the former Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike, with entry denial into their countries, describing him as a ‘merchant of hate’, whose actions and utterances threaten peace and humanity. In an open letter addressed to the UN Secretary-General, Ambassadors and High Commissioners of the United Kingdom, the United…

Read More