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From Juliana Taiwo-Obalonye, Abuja
The Presidency has fired back at former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai, branding his public letter questioning an alleged Thallium Sulphate procurement from Poland a ‘calculated decoy’ to ignite political tension and sidestep N432 billion corruption probes in Kaduna State.
Reacting via a post on X by Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Temitope Ajayi (@TheTope_Ajayi), the Presidency accused el-Rufai of peddling misinformation to cast himself as a persecuted victim, while targeting President Bola Tinubu and National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
Ajayi insisted that el-Rufai “knew there was no government procurement or importation of Thallium sulphate into Nigeria from Poland through the office of the National Security Adviser.” He alleged that el-Rugai received a reply from the NSA’s office but suppressed it.
“el-Rufai certainly got a reply to his letter from the NSA’s office and he should be honourable enough to release it just as he mischievously released his own letter,” the Presidency stated.
The post outlined two motives driving el-Rufai, saying, “The truth is that Mallam el-Rufai has two clear intentions behind his recent actions and tantrums. One, to create political tension in the country, create an atmosphere of fear and unrest and then damage the government through deliberate misinformation. Two, to divert attention from his domestic problems in Kaduna State, where he is facing massive corruption allegations.”
The Presidency dismissed el-Rufai’s bid to nationalise his personal problems, arguing that Nigerians won’t rally behind him on graft charges. “The problem here is not President Bola Tinubu and Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser. The question should be, how did El-Rufai lose almost everyone in the state he governed for eight years?”
It highlighted el-Rufai’s eroded support, including fallouts with critical stakeholders, Governor Uba Sani, once his protégé, and all 28 Kaduna lawmakers, who unanimously petitioned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) over the N432 billion claims. Both agencies have summoned him, the Presidency noted.
“Instead of behaving like a drowning man holding on to a straw to stay afloat, el-Rufai should brace up to face his corruption allegations and make peace with himself and his own people,” it urged.
