BETWEEN the Federal Government and a former Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, what started as a session of heated political altercations has degenerated to predictable rough tackles and desperate debacle in the form of near arrest, passport seizure, eventual detention, administrative bail, re-arrest, home search and an arraignment which has been scheduled for Wednesday, February 25, 2026. In the ensuing open contest between the Federal Government and the former Governor of Kaduna State, it is clear who the underdog is.
And over the years, it has become an established tradition in Journalism to sensitize concerning the travails of underdogs and lend support in cases where they find themselves on the thorny side of justice or the prickly sides of politics.
This age-long tradition of Journalism, to pitch tent with the underdogs in the fight against perceived injustice, appears not to be so compelling this time around and the reasons are not so farfetched.
For a man of El-Rufai’s public profile to admit to intercepting the telephone conversations of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu can be poignantly unsettling. It is important to unravel for how long he has been involved in this security breach. It will also be in the interest of the nation to know if he carried out this infraction alone or in concert with some other persons or groups. He was also reported to have publicly vowed that people like him will not sleep until the Federal Government as presently constituted is booted out of office insisting that he and President Tinubu remain parallel lines that can never meet.
It can be recalled that his name was prominently on the ministerial list submitted to the National Assembly by the APC government in 2023. He however could not be cleared on security grounds which the phone tapping admittance appears to have validated. El-Rufai’s public service records both as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and Governor of Kaduna State are also replete with oppressive violence and raw use of power. It then becomes a pretty difficult thing to do; to start shedding tears now that with the turning of the political table, he’s at the receiving end of the raw, vindictive use of power.
There is indeed a valid temptation to see the former Governor’s ordeal as part of the emerging tradition of clampdown against political opposition, countdown to 2027 elections. It has been widely reported that his arrest and a similar ordeal of former Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami have adversely affected the activities of the opposition coalition, the ADC. Democracy loses its vibes and zest without the freely expressed views of the opposition. The rules of engagement should however be within the defined terms and regulations of public decency and mutual respect as provided for by the law. Responsible and constructive opposition does not have to make the political space an ungovernable theatre of violence and ghoulish display of desperation to make its impact to be felt. El-Rufai saw his arrest and possible detention coming but had to brace it to see how to make a political statement of undemocratic repression and descent into authoritarianism against the Federal Government.
In the present political configuration, being a vocal member of the opposition is considered a capital sin against the State. That however is the skewed dynamics of a political system Malam El-Rufai has benefited immensely from over the years. Ordinary Nigerians should therefore not lose sleep over the travails of El-Rufai.
He was detained by ICPC over alleged corruption in Kaduna, after he had spent two nights in EFCC custody. What was supposed to be a temporary relief for him last Wednesday turned out to be a dramatic illusion as Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) took him into custody on Wednesday night, upon his release by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
The Kaduna State Assembly had petitioned anti-corruption agencies to investigate El-Rufai over alleged fraud and misappropriation of state funds to the tune of over N423 billion.
The former governor had resisted an attempt by security operatives to arrest him penultimate Thursday at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, on his return to the country. He eventually turned himself in to the EFCC. After spending two nights with EFCC investigators, he was granted administrative bail.
The former Governor was however immediately taken into custody by ICPC, which had earlier invited him, also, in respect of corruption allegations.
Department of State Service (DSS) had on Monday filed a three-count charge bordering on alleged cybercrime offences against El-Rufai before a Federal High Court in Abuja. He was accused of unlawfully wiretapping the phone lines of National Security Adviser (NSA), Mr Nuhu Ribadu.
El-Rufai, following his attempted arrest at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, had on a national television program, accused the NSA of orchestrating his arrest. In a three-count charge, DSS accused El-Rufai of unlawful interception of the phone communications of Ribadu.
The federal government claimed that the alleged act amounted to a serious breach of Nigeria’s cybercrime and communications laws and posed a threat to public safety and national security.
The Department of State Services has therefore fixed Wednesday this week, to arraign the former Governor before the Federal High Court in Abuja over alleged breach of national security.
In 2024, the Kaduna State House of Assembly demanded investigations into his administration.
The former governor previously backed President Bola Tinubu’s emergence as the APC presidential candidate in 2023.Both he and the president parted ways politically, with Mr El Rufai becoming Mr Tinubu’s fierce critic after the president’s initial move to appoint the former Kaduna State governor as a minister could not pull through.
Mr El-Rufai is currently a leading member of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), vowing to work with like-minded politicians to ensure Tinubu is not re-elected in 2027.
In all this, the Federal Government should be conscious of not falling on the negative side of the rule of law and human right benchmark as expected in a democracy. Many unfolding events in our polity truly call for weeping. It is therefore expedient to save ones tears for these predictable events and situations. As it currently stands, I have no tears to waste on Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
