El-Rufai: I won’t go on exile despite rumoured arrest plot

Former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, has dismissed rumours that he might flee Nigeria over alleged plans by President Bola Tinubu’s administration to arrest and torture him.

El-Rufai, who has been at loggerheads with the Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), insisted that he would not be intimidated into exile.

Reacting to a post by X user Imran Wakili about the alleged plot, the former governor stated that he would return to Nigeria from Egypt before February 20, 2025.

“I have been hearing these same rumours of arrest, detention, and torture in some dungeon in the NSA’s office 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,” he wrote.

According to him, those in power have attempted to intimidate him through friends, family, and political associates in a bid to force him into self-imposed exile. However, he vowed to spend more time in Nigeria than ever before.

“Silence is no longer golden. Inaction has never been an option. 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,” he added.

El-Rufai also reaffirmed his intention to attend the launch of former President Ibrahim Babangida’s memoirs on February 20, 2025.

“For those who don’t sleep well whenever I am in Nigeria, take notice that I intend to return in time for the launch of former President IBB’s memoirs, in sha Allah.”

The former governor was instrumental in ensuring that the APC presidential ticket for the 2023 election was zoned to the South, backing Bola Tinubu against northern aspirants such as Ahmad Lawan and Mohammed Badaru. However, he later fell out with the current administration and was rejected by the Senate during the ministerial screening process in August 2023, allegedly due to security concerns raised by the Department of State Services (DSS).

Since then, El-Rufai has been absent from APC gatherings and has not been seen near Aso Villa or around the president he once vigorously supported.