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Nasir El-Rufai: How the Cookie Crumbles – His Many Controversies

Published

3 years ago

August 12, 2023

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

In addition to being one of the immediate past governors, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai had made headlines in his political career, most of the times for the wrong reasons. Needless to say that the ex-governor of Kaduna State courts controversies, a trademark he is probably proud of.

A lot of questions have however, been raised as to the weight of allegations against the former governor that necessitated the Senate that had shown deep reverence to his person to suddenly step down his nomination and screening, pending thorough investigation into alleged infractions bordering on security and human rights. Recall he was among the set of former governors on the list of nominees of President Bola Tinubu lavished with respect by senators during the screening exercise on 2 August. Reports say that senators fell over one another to speak in his favour while some even discouraged their colleagues from asking him questions. So what finally went wrong? What misgivings became too difficult for the political class to cover up? How did yhe cookie finally crumble under one of the fiercest political figures with connections up to the mightiest in the government?

It was also gathered that during his ministerial screening, the former Minister was prevented by the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, from responding to inquest into what a senator said was a plethora of petitions against him. This was when a Senator from Kogi State, Sunday Karimi, after commending El-Rufai for his achievements in public office, said he had a petition against him that bothered on “security, unity and cohesiveness”. He urged the Senate to consider the petition while the screening the nominee.

In response, Akpabio said “that would be handled during the confirmation hearing” which would be done behind closed doors. He ordered El-Rufai to take a bow and leave.

However, an unconfirmed conspiracy theory that trended has it that the petition was actually given to Karimi by the Senate president to present.

Another senator confided in The Whistler that “all the senators including the three senators from Kaduna State were unanimous in rejecting El-Rufai.”

The Boss further learnt that following the rejection of the Senate, albeit unwillingly, el-Rufai took the easy way out, informing Tinubu that he was no longer interested in being a minister in his cabinet. One would wonder why, having a few weeks before stood his ground to robustly defend his intentions be minister while preferring theorical solutions to the power sector, where it was believed he would head.

According to Premium Times, El-Rufai, who had been a Minister of the Federal Capital Territory informed the president during his visit alongside former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, who came to make a case for him, that he was no longer interested in becoming minister, pledging his loyalty and readiness to contribute to the administration, but from the sideline. He made excuses of unavailability, citing need to focus on his doctorate programme at a university in The Netherlands.

The former Kaduna helmsman was obviously shaken by his rejection by the Senate on account of “dirty” petitions which bordered on national security. He also a suggested a former commissioner in his administration, Jafaru Ibrahim Sani, as his replacement.

To give El-Rufai a soft landing, two other nominees that were also rejected; they are Sani Danladi from Taraba, and Stella Okotete from Delta.

However, more facts have emerged as to why the former Kaduna State governor is going through his present travail. Tinubu does not forget, a source told The Boss, noting the fracas that took place between the duo may still be etched heavily on the minds of the president even with his new status, their reconciliation not withstanding.

“Anybody can scale through screening whether from the Department of State (DSS) or Senate so long as the president wants the person in. So, it is not out of place to say that the president has a hand in the travails of El-Rufai. The fact remains that Tinubu or some of his influential handlers don’t want him in the administration otherwise clearing him is just a snap of the fingers,” a source confided in The Boss

Recall that the former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory had told Tinubu during the presidential campaign that he would prefer to travel out of the country to live a quiet life, but he changed his mind after what a ‘source’ described as “intensive discussions with the President after winning the election.”

The PUNCH reported that El-Rufai told the President that the ministry of power should be made to include gas after telling the President that gas was a must-have product if the country was to have regular power supply.

The paper added that El-Rufai had started assembling egg-heads, including Jimi Lawal; the Special Adviser to the President on Energy Matters, Olu Verheijen; Eyo Ekpo and Tolu Oyekan, who had been briefing the President on how to achieve his major electioneering promise of providing uninterrupted power supply.

“Certain elements in the Villa might have felt threatened by El-Rufai. They don’t want him because they are already planning for the next election as the case may be and they see him as a potential threat to their aspirations.

“Some political foes like Senator Shehu Sani and some elements in the Christian Association of Nigeria and even some Muslim clerics are all part of the gang-up.

“Recall that during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo, El-Rufai had issues with federal lawmakers when he alleged that some of them were demanding bribes from him. Obasanjo intervened and the matter was resolved and the Senate cleared him. So, if President Tinubu wanted El-Rufai, he would have insisted that the former governor be cleared” the paper maintained, raising suggestions on why the president is not lifting a finger in overturning the alleged discoveries of the DSS.

While it is believed that Tinubu may have bought into the ideas of the former governor, forces beyond his control, including past confrontations, have stood in his way of continuitheir newfound friendship.

The President and El-Rufai has forged a bond during the crisis preceding the conduct of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary, where the former Kaduna governor stood solidly for Tinubu against his northern colleagues.

But some influential members of the Tinubu kitchen cabinet, who were of the opinion that El-Rufai should not be allowed to wield enormous power in the government, alleging that it would be difficult to completely trust him won the heart of Tinubu.

“So, his enemies won when the second security report on him was sent to the offices of the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), President of the Senate and the National Security Adviser detailing the numerous reasons why El-Rufai should not be cleared for a ministerial position,” the paper added.

In a covering letter signed by one Aminu Yusuf on behalf of the Director-General, Department of State Services, dated August 4, 2023, with reference number SV.8/1430 titled, ‘Re: Security Vetting’ and addressed to the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), which was exclusively obtained by Saturday PUNCH, the secret police wrote, “Further to this Service letter S.V.8/1426 dated 1st of August, 2023, giving provisional security clearance to three (3) ministerial nominees, including Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai, pending conclusion of vetting. (Appendix ‘A’ instructive).

“This Service wishes to state that further vetting and background checks conducted revealed some underlined issues which have negatively affected the nominee and as such, it is recommended that El-Rufai’s clearance by the Senate of the National Assembly be stepped down until the issues are cleared as investigation continues.

“Summary of the issues under investigation are (sic) attached as Appendix ‘B’ for ease of reference.

“Accept the assurances and esteemed regards of the DGSS

Much as the appendixes ‘A’ and ‘B’ attached to the letter detailing the issues for which El-Rufai’s clearance was put on hold, was not made public, it is assumed that it was enough for both the president and El-Rufai to agree to step down from the ministerial assignment.

El-Rufai and his many Controversies

From the days when his book The Accidental Public Servant, hit the shelves, El-Rufai’s controversial life gained momentum. The book exposes the working of his mind, especially as literally went on a demolition spree of buildings, including the residence of the powerful chairman of the ruling party, in a bid to restore the Abuja master plan. He was Minister of Federal Capital Territory. He had, at the age of 38 reluctantly entered government in 1998 as an adviser for the military government of Abdulsalam Abubakar, and then the Director-General of the main privatisation agency, the Bureau for Public Enterprises (BPE).

El-Rufai’s handling of his official portfolios led to his persecution and eventual self exile when he left office.

While serving during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, El-Rufai reportedly had an issue with the lawmakers when he alleged that some of them were demanding bribe from him. The matter was settled when Obasanjo intervened.

Recall that in 2019, while giving a lecture on godfatherism, El-Rufai said that during the last election only 1 million registered voters came out to vote in Lagos out of the 5 million voters, so he asked why did the remaining voters refused to come out, pointing out, if he is the governor of Lagos he will go all out against those who did not come out to vote to defeat the godfathers in Lagos. He was apparently referring to Tinubu though he later denied it alluding to Tinubu.

It was also during the same election in 2019 that he made the statement about international observers going back to their countries in bodybags. He also said he was quoted out of context.

In August 2020, the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) withdrew the nomination of El-Rufai as a speaker at its 60th annual conference citing his poor human rights records and commitment to the rule of law. They also accused him of not doing enough to end the killings in the southern part of his state, Kaduna.

On February 16, 2023, El-Rufai gave a live broadcast to the people of Kaduna state, overruling then President Muhammadu Buhari on the currency redesign matter. Buhari had announced that only the N200 should be in circulation, but El-Rufai, who had earlier with two other governors, taken the Federal government to court, publicly rebuffed Buhari, and asked Kaduna people to go ahead and spend all categories of the currency.

In June 2023, El-Rufai, who has always received knocks for perceived hatred of Christians, was quoted as saying during meeting that “Because religion was used that’s why Allah gave Tinubu victory. What we successfully did in Kaduna (Mu-Mu) has now been replicated all over the country. No liar will ever contest as a Christian and win election ever again. Peter Obi tried and you can see where he is today, we’ve done the medicine for that one. Since Asiwaju won the election, CAN has been silent.”

El-Rufai’s utterances and actions may have been the reason behind the collapse of the bond he supposedly forged with Tinubu, not ruling out his fierce approach to political and religious matters.

However, stakeholders believe that his case is not completely hopeless if Mr President is not pleased with his rejection. But isn’t Mr President?

Headline

Parties’ Deregistration: ADC, Not NDC, is the Target

Published

3 days ago

June 29, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

As the 2027 presidential election draws closer, intrigues, manipulations and maneuvers have continued to be the order of the day as political parties engage in one gimmick or another to outdo and undo one another.

While some are playing politics of numbers and conviction, others are engaging tendencies that tend to question the status quo and established principles under which genuine democracy is formed. As a matter of fact, fingers have been pointed at the President Bola Tinubu-led Federal government as the brain behind all machinations that have attempted to derail multi-party democracy, and institute a one-party state, which is alien to the Nigerian democratic roots. This is as a result of the constant imbroglio that has consistently engulf almost all the major political parties in the country.

Fresh facts have however, emerged to prove that every act of frustration thrown at the opposition has been indirectly aimed at the main opposition party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

According to reliable sources, the recent deregistration of parties, especially the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), was actually targeted at the ADC.

Recall that the Federal High Court in Lokoja, Kogi State, on June, 26, set aside its earlier judgement directing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to register the NDC as a political party. A ruling that put a question mark on the eligibility of the party presenting candidates in the forthcoming 2027 elections

The presiding judge, Isah Dashen, held that all relevant parties must be heard before any substantive decision can be made in the matter.

The court upheld the application filed by a certain organization, the Peace Movement Party (PMP), ruling that the party was a necessary party to the suit.

According to the judge, the earlier judgement was constitutionally defective as it was delivered without hearing from all interested parties.

He declared that such an omission rendered the entire process null and void.

Mr Dashen further ruled that the status quo be restored to what it was before the December 10, 2025 judgement, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

He also observed that certain material facts were suppressed in the earlier proceedings, which justified the decision to set aside the judgment.

Consequently, the court ordered that the substantive suit should begin afresh, with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the PMP and the NDC as parties to the case.

According to NAN’s reports, the applicant’s lawyer, Chikezie Ekeocha, told journalists that the PMP approached the court after discovering that NDC’s registration was based on a logo it had previously submitted to INEC before the commencement of the suit.

According to Mr Ekeocha, the court agreed that the applicant’s rights had been affected and consequently vacated the earlier judgement.

“The court has ordered all parties to return to the position they occupied before the judgment of 10 December 2025, and directed the claimants to join all necessary parties to ensure the issues in dispute are effectually and completely determined,” he said.

He explained that the implication of the ruling is that every action taken by INEC in compliance with the now-vacated judgment stands reversed.

“The recognition of the NDC, the issuance of its certificate of registration, its inclusion in INEC’s records, and any appearance on ballot papers arising from that judgement must be withdrawn pending the final determination of the substantive suit,” Mr Ekeocha stated.

He, however, clarified that the substantive case remains before the court and has not been decided.

“The matter has not been concluded. The court merely set aside its previous judgment and directed that the party whose interests were affected be joined so that all sides can be heard before a fresh decision is reached.”

Mr Ekeocha also dismissed suggestions that the court merely ordered parties to maintain the status quo, insisting that the ruling specifically directed a restoration of the position that existed before the 10 December 2025 judgement.

The ruling effectively returns the dispute over the registration of the NDC to the Federal High Court for a fresh hearing, with all relevant parties expected to participate before a new determination is made.

It would also be recalled that a few weeks earlier, the Federal High Court in Abuja, had ordered the deregistration of five political parties including the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The others are Action People’s Party (APP), Action Alliance (AA), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and Accord Party.

However, on June 16, the Court of Appeal in Abuja halted the enforcement of the judgement, ruling that it violated its earlier ruling staying proceedings before the Federal High Court.

While INEC awaits the release of the Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment to deregister the NDC, the NDC has reacted, rejecting the judgment as travesty of justice.

Lending credence to the notion that the President Tinubu-led administration is basically targeting the establishment of the ADC as a party, and the candidature of its presidential flagbearer, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who is also the presidential candidate of the ADC, has stated categorically that there are plots to prevent the party from participating in the 2027 general election.

Atiku’s position is stated in a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu on Monday, notifying the public that he had received credible information suggesting that political and legal manoeuvres were being deployed against the ADC, stressing that the persecution that has been thrown towards the NDC was a clear distraction as the main target is the ADC.

Atiku alleged that anti-democratic elements within the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) were working to ensure that the ADC is excluded from the ballot.

“We are fully aware of their plots. While they seek to sow confusion within the opposition, we know their real target is the ADC because it represents the most credible alternative,” he said.

Atiku called on Nigerians to reject any attempt to determine which opposition parties participate in the election.

“We therefore call on all Nigerians — not just ADC members and supporters — to rise in defense of democracy and reject any attempt by the ruling party to cherry-pick which opposition parties are permitted to participate in the next general election,” he said.

“Our message to the APC and the hooded men plotting in dark chambers is simple: you may conspire, but you will not succeed.

“If the APC is truly confident in its popularity, why is it so terrified of the ADC?”

He said he hoped the information available to him would not materialise but argued that recent political developments made such concerns difficult to dismiss.

“The pattern has become all too familiar. First, institutions that ought to be neutral are drawn into partisan contests,” he said.

“Then, frivolous litigations suddenly gain unusual momentum. Administrative powers are selectively deployed.

“Political pressure is mounted behind closed doors. Before long, democracy itself becomes the casualty.”

Atiku alleged that the ruling party has focused more on weakening the opposition than addressing the country’s economic and security challenges.

“The obsession with silencing the opposition has become so consuming that governance itself has taken a back seat,” he said.

“At a time when Nigerians are battling hunger, inflation, unemployment, insecurity, and collapsing purchasing power, those entrusted with public office appear preoccupied with political survival rather than national survival.”

Nigerians recall that ever since the official rejuvenation of the ADC in June/July of 2025, where the duo of Senator David Mark and Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola emerged as the party’s chairman and secretary respectively, the party has not known moments of peaceful coexistence as litigations from corners unknown have sprang up in a bid to destabilize the party and deprive it of the opportunity of featuring on the ballot paper come 2027.

ADC, as a child of circumstance emerged from the rumbles of the litigation-ridden former main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where two factions have consistently remelained at loggerheads over leadership. While the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, who is working assiduously to ensure the reelection of Bola Tinubu, leads one faction, Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, who became a defacto head, leads the other faction. In all, PDP appeared to have no direction, forcing many of its members to jump ship, thereby birthing the ADC, and to a large extent, the NDC, which is presenting Peter Obi as the presidential candidate, with former Kano governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, as his running mate.

Sources also informed The Boss that the hasty reading and passage of the Electoral Act 2026 by the Godswill Akpabio-led National Assembly, with many great areas left unattended to, were also part of the grand design to deprive the ADC the constitutional rights of presenting candidates for the 2027 elections.

But both the ADC and the NDC has vowed that they would follow every process to ensure that the crackdown on opposition parties by the Tinubu administration comes to an abrupt end.

But beyond the intrigues, Nigerians are gearing up to participate fully in the forthcoming election with cross sections of the population either hailing Tinubu for his policies or knocking him for the untold hardship in the land.

Headline

South Africa Nothing Without Africa – MTN Boss, Mcebisi Jonas

Published

5 days ago

June 27, 2026

Eric

The MTN Group Chairman, Mcebisi Jonas, has condemned the ongoing anti-foreigner sentiment in South Africa, describing it as a symptom of State failure being cynically exploited by politicians with no interest in genuine solutions.

The speech is seen as one of the most substantive interventions by a senior business figure into xenophobic crisis currently plaguing South Africa.

Delivered during the funeral service of Zimbabwean-born activist and public servant, Thokozani Damasane, Jonas’ words have sparked a wave of discussion across South African civil society.

“I was thinking, what is home to Damasane?” he said. “Because I understand, and I understood very early in life, that home is where humanity is. Home is about humanness. It is about the good of humanity and striving for the good of humanity.”

Thokozani Damasane was born and educated in Zimbabwe before relocating to South Africa during the post-apartheid transition period. Jonas described him as arriving “as an outcast” into a country still finding its post-liberation footing – and choosing, nonetheless, to commit himself entirely to its struggles and its people.

“He immersed himself deeply into the struggles, into the pains of South Africans, and he became one of us,” Jonas said.

“In Damasane’s strength, our strength as South Africa and South Africans is reflected. And in his weaknesses, our own weaknesses are reflected.”

Speaking further, Jonas blamed the state for the failure being witnessed, emphasising that if foreigners leave South Africa today, the country’s problems will still persist.

“Foreigners can leave tomorrow – inequality will be with us,” he told the congregation.

“Foreigners will leave tomorrow – unemployment will be with us. Foreigners will leave tomorrow – our police will remain corrupt. Foreigners will leave tomorrow – our politicians will still be concerned with one thing: being elected and re-elected.

“The problem is the failure of the state. The State doesn’t manage immigration. It doesn’t manage its borders. It doesn’t enforce
law enforcement. It doesn’t manage education. What are you expecting?”

Jonas argued that this failure created fertile ground for political manipulation. “When people feel the burn, they become vulnerable to politicians whose sole purpose is to be elected and re-elected. Some of them have no credibility whatsoever. But they lead marches and tell our people that the problem is not us – it is foreigners.”

Jonas recounted a conversation he had witnessed between Damasane and a young man who had challenged the right of foreigners to be in South Africa. Damasane’s response, Jonas said, had stayed with him ever since.

“Damasane said to this guy: Just wait fifteen or twenty years. You will also want to leave your country.”

Jonas told mourners those words now carry a weight Damasane may not have anticipated. “As I stand up today, I look at South Africa. The level of oppression and inequality, the level of exclusion of our people, the level of corruption, the betrayal of the dream of liberation – those words of Damasane ring very loud in my ears.”

South Africa is nothing without Africa

Jonas closed with a call for what he described as a return to “national consciousness” – one rooted in continental solidarity and economic interdependence rather than ethnic exclusion.

“We are a nation embedded in Africa,” he said. “And without Africa, our growth as a country – economically – our fortune is intertwined with the growth of Africa. South Africa is nothing without Africa. And Africa is nothing without South Africa.”

He also reframed the question of legacy and identity for Damasane’s children, who were present. “Sometimes this thing called meritocracy is measured in wealth. No. It is values, it is principles, it is integrity. And your father had all of that.”

“We cannot judge people by their origin,” he told mourners. “We cannot determine the legal status of people by their origin.”

Headline

NDC Rejects Court Ruling on Party’s Registration, Heads to Appeal Court

Published

5 days ago

June 27, 2026

Eric

The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Friday, vowed to challenge the judgment nullifying its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), insisting that it would exercise its constitutional right of appeal.

Reacting to the ruling on Thursday, the party’s spokesman, Osa Director, said the NDC was still awaiting the certified copy of the judgment before making a comprehensive statement on the court’s decision.

He, however, confirmed that the party had resolved to head to the appellate court.

“We are still waiting to obtain a copy of the judgment. After reading the comprehensive judgment, we will make a detailed statement,” he said.

The spokesman added: “For now, what is certain is that we will exercise our right of appeal.”

Insisting that the party would challenge the ruling, he said: “It is our constitutional right to appeal, and we intend to exercise that right.”

When asked specifically whether the NDC would appeal the judgment voiding its registration, the spokesman replied: “Yes, the party will appeal the case.”

The party’s reaction came shortly after a Federal High Court sitting in Lokoja, Kogi State, in a judgement that nullified its registration by INEC, a development that could have significant implications for the NDC’s participation in the country’s political process ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The NDC, however, maintained that it would refrain from making further comments on the substance of the judgment until it had studied the full text of the court’s decision.

The party’s planned appeal is expected to set the stage for a fresh legal battle over its status and continued existence as a registered political party.