'Seun Ibukun-Oni, Abuja
DAILY COURIER - Former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has dismissed rumors of his impending arrest, detention, and possible torture, declaring that he has no plans to go into self-imposed exile. In a statement shared on his official X (formerly Twitter) handle on Tuesday, El-Rufai insisted that he would remain in Nigeria despite alleged attempts to intimidate him.
Responding to a post by an X user, @IU_Wakilii, El-Rufai acknowledged that he had been hearing the same speculations about his arrest since July 2024, following the release of a controversial report by the Kaduna State House of Assembly. He accused certain individuals of trying to manipulate the judicial process to discredit him and maintained that efforts were ongoing at the Court of Appeal to challenge what he termed "premeditated defamation."
“They freaked out when we challenged the legality of the premeditated defamation and went to every length to compromise the judicial process, and this is continuing at the Court of Appeal,” he wrote.
The former governor alleged that intimidation tactics were being used against him, with messages of threats being sent through his friends, family, and political associates. According to him, the goal was to force him into exile, but he categorically rejected the idea.
“I will not,” he declared, emphasizing that he had put all previous academic and language-learning plans on hold to spend more time in Nigeria than ever before. “Silence is no longer golden. Inaction has never been an option.”
El-Rufai, who has had a history of clashes with previous administrations, stated that he had been arrested and detained three times in the past for expressing his views. However, he maintained that such experiences were not new in politics and vowed to remain steadfast in his convictions.
“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 of previous governments. There is always a morning after the arrest, detention, or torture, and political life continues.”
Referencing his faith in God, he stated that he was not afraid of death, adding that it was ultimately determined by Allah.
“For the attention of the pathetic characters that don’t sleep well whenever I am in Nigeria, take notice that I intend to return in time for the launch of President IBB’s memoirs, in sha Allah, scheduled for 20th February,” he wrote.
El-Rufai concluded his statement by reaffirming his trust in God, asserting that he feared no mortal.
“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.”
The statement comes amidst ongoing political tensions following the Kaduna State House of Assembly’s report, which reportedly accused El-Rufai’s administration of financial mismanagement. His defiant tone signals that he is prepared for a legal and political battle in the coming months.
