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Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has said he would not judge friends, colleagues and family members who have abandoned him in his present circumstances.
El-Rufai stated this in a statement titled, “My Relationships and the Aftermath” released on Wednesday.
The former governor said, “Some have expressed concern at the apparent silence, in my present circumstances, of some of my colleagues, friends and family members whom I have publicly stood by or associated closely with in the past. My own view of this is quite simple.”
El-Rufai said throughout his life, he tried to do what he could for colleagues, friends, family and humanity at large, guided by his Islamic faith, Arewa upbringing, personal values and conscience.
“Over the years, I have stood by people and for causes I believed in, sometimes in difficult circumstances and at considerable personal cost.
“I did so not in expectation of praise, gratitude or reciprocity, but because I believed it was right,” he noted.
He added that those he supported are free to make their own choices now that circumstances are reversed.
“Some may speak; others may remain silent. Others may even deny our relationship or try rewriting history.
“Their reasons are their own, and I do not wish to judge them merely because their response differs from what others—or even I—might have expected,” El-Rufai said.
The former governor said adversity has a way of illuminating relationships and what he has learnt in difficult times may lead him to reconsider the nature of certain relationships.
“That is neither reproach nor condemnation; it is simply part of seeing people, and life, more clearly,” he said.
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El-Rufai said he has no regrets about standing by people and bears no resentment towards anyone who chooses not to do same for him.
“I would rather remain true to the principles that have guided my own conduct than allow the conduct of others to redefine them,” he said.
He added that he seeks neither revenge nor retribution for any injustice done to him.
“Ultimate accountability belongs to Almighty Allah, and I leave that judgment to Him, in this world and in the hereafter,” El-Rufai stated.
El-Rufai is facing trial over alleged money laundering and conversion of public property linked to his tenure from 2015 to 2023.
He was first detained by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) on February 16, following a petition based on the Kaduna State House of Assembly ad-hoc committee report which indicted him for alleged diversion of over N400 billion.
After being released by the EFCC, he was taken into custody by the ICPC on February 19, 2026, in whose custody he has remained.
He is facing a separate five-count amended charge bordering on wiretapping filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) before Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court, Abuja.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CR/99/2026, stems from an interview he granted on Arise TV’s Prime Time programme on February 13, 2026, where he said his camp had listened to the phone calls of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
Prosecutors allege he intentionally and without authorisation intercepted Ribadu’s communications, in violation of Section 12(1) of the Cybercrimes (Prohibition, Prevention, etc.) Amendment Act, 2024, and Section 131(2) of the Nigerian Communications Act, 2003.
He pleaded not guilty.
