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By Lawrence Agbo
Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, the former Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Bola Tinubu, has stated that former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai should focus on clearing his name of corruption charges.”
Amid growing public conflict between El-Rufai and National Security Advisor Nuhu Ribadu, Baba-Ahmed spoke on Channels Television’s Political Paradigm current events program on Tuesday.
“If I were to advise El-Rufai, there are so few fronts that you’d fight, so try and limit the damage, focus your attention on getting yourself cleaned up on allegations that you stole money from the people…,” Baba-Ahmed said.
He added, “Mallam El-Rufai by character is a very difficult person to advise…”
He maintained that rather than being written off as political theatrics, the numerous accusations and denials made against the former governor ought to be put to the test in court.
“I’d say that the simpler way to go about this is put all these allegations on the table. They are legal issues, from the allegations of corruption against Mallam Nasir El-Rufai to the allegations that Mallam Nuhu Ribadu… to the allegation of imported, poisoned chemicals.
“All these weighty issues must be brought at the disposal of the judicial process, and we must know what the truths or otherwise of these allegations are; we cannot sweep them on the grounds that this is politics, it’s not good enough,” he said.
After El-Rufai claimed that associates had tapped Ribadu’s phone and overheard orders to security personnel to arrest him, he accused Ribadu of arranging his “abduction” at the Abuja airport, further escalating the conflict.
El-Rufai further claimed that, for political reasons connected to a purported 2031 presidential ambition, the NSA was influencing investigations by the Kaduna State House of Assembly and anti-corruption authorities.
He also demanded public clarity regarding the Office of the National Security Adviser’s purported purchase of thallium sulphate.
Ribadu has refuted every allegation, maintaining that organisations like the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission function independently and that the said desire was unfounded.
In response to the decline in their friendship, Baba-Ahmed claimed that the disagreement was indicative of a more serious issue with Nigerian politics.
“I am extremely saddened by the development. I know both gentlemen and how deep their personal relationship was, and I see one of the poisonous elements of our politics.
“If you can actually poison a relationship with this nature this deeply, then we are in very serious trouble… it is very saddening to see this relationship just simply degenerate to a point that their personal relationship is now so poisoned that nobody thinks about the consequences… we are dealing with a situation of two friends threatening to take legal action against each other,” he said.
During former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration, both men held significant positions and had a deep personal and professional bond that persisted during El-Rufai’s time as governor of Kaduna.
