By NewsMata
The immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, Monday night pointedly accused the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, of being behind the plot to destroy him because of his 2031 presidential ambition.
El-Rufai, who made the allegation when he appeared on Arise Television ‘Prime Time’ programme monitored by Newsmata.com.ng, alleged that Ribadu was working in cahoots with his successor, Senator Uba Sani to implement “this project of destroy El-Rufai”.
The former minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) who was responding to his alleged indictment for humongous corruption by the Kaduna State House of Assembly, swore that he never took a penny that he was not entitled to as governor, adding that he was not given a fair hearing by being invited.
El-Rufai said, “If the state House of Assembly is investigating my administration and they have questions, I think the basic principles of fair hearing require that I am invited. I was never invited. I have read the report of the State House of Assembly where at the end of the report they said N423 billion was siphoned out. There is nowhere in the report where they tabulated that N423 billion. From where to where? Money doesn’t disappear these days. Money is all electronic. From where did this money move, to where?
“And the state Assembly recommended that I should be investigated by ICPC and EFCC blah blah blah. I told my guys, calm down. We responded and said this is nonsense because the state earned about N900 billion in the eight years I was in office. Now, 45 percent of that disappearing, I would like to see from where. And out of that, N900 billion, N500 and something billion was salaries and overheads. So, I really want to see the breakdown where that money was taken from.
“Now, when we responded and got the report, I told my Commissioners, Government speaks, a lot can happen below your level that you don’t know. So, let’s not say anything. Let’s wait and see. The anti corruption agencies, particularly ICPC, have been inviting our people. They have found nothing since then. An administration that was supposed to have siphoned N423 billion, so far, two people have been charged; one for N64 million that was paid to his account as reimbursement for something he did for the government. Another, I think N115 million that they said he sold government properties, and the money didn’t get to the account, and they know.
“I thought my commissioners, or any one of us would be charged for billions. But these are paltry amounts. Now, what’s happening in the ICPC; the EFCC has done its investigations, and they have not charged anybody because there is nothing. But the ICPC whose chairman is the brother of a friend of ours called Farouk Adamu Aliyu, who is a very close friend of Nuhu Ribadu reports to Nuhu Ribadu on this.
“This project of destroy Nasir El-Rufai is Nuhu Ribadu’s conception; he’s the architect and he’s the builder of that project and is the one working with Uba Sani to implement it. So far, it has been frustrating for them because they have not been able to find anything. In fact, what they have resorted to doing in the last two weeks is to be calling lower-level people and some of my officials and saying implicate Nasir El-Rufai and your problems will go away.
“This is what the ICPC has become. The EFCC is far more professional. They have done a much better job of it. And now that we have seen that the whole thing is a charade, we’re going to start fighting back. I have been in public service for a long time. I was adviser to Abdusalami Abubakar, I’ve been DG or BPE, I’ve been minister of FCT and governor of Kaduna State. I swear to you, I swear to God, I have never in my life, taken a penny that I’m not entitled to.
“In fact, in Kaduna State, in my first term of office, because we took a vow along with my Deputy Governor that we will be donating 50 percent of our salaries and allowances back to the state coffers, I did that. I gave my own entitlements to the government, and I have treasury receipts for that. I have never taken a penny, but somebody wants to destroy my reputation. Why? Nuhu Ribadu wants to be president in 2031. He has to eliminate every Northerner that he thinks is in the radar. That’s what’s going on”.
El-Rufai also spoke on his relationship with the incumbent governor of Kaduna State, and whether he’s still politically relevant. He stated unequivocally that he had since parted ways with the governor and Ribadu.
He said of his successor, “Look, Uba Sani had been my friend for many, many years. But he is not my friend anymore because for me, the word friendship is a very important concept. God gave us our relatives; he chose our relatives for us; we have no choice…But thank God we can choose our friends. And for me, a friend is someone that has some fidelity, some ethical and moral standards and will be there for you when you need him.
“And those that are my friends know that I’ll be there for them when they need me, and I will rise and defend them. That’s what I call friend. Uba Sani is not my friend; Nuhu Ribadu is not my friend. They were my friends at some point but not anymore.
“As for what is happening in Kaduna, I don’t comment on any job that I have walked away from. I left BPE (Bureau of Public Enterprises) 22 years ago, I only went there to interview the DG for my PhD something and then they came and interviewed me when they were doing a review of transition programme.
“Since I left the FCT, I never went back there until my former classmate in Barewa, Mahammed Bello, became minister, and wanted to see me repeatedly, so I decided to drive in to see him. I don’t comment on what I’m done with. So, I won’t comment about Kaduna. Those that say I am relevant or not relevant in Kaduna, I don’t comment on that. Let us wait until 2027, we will see who is relevant or who is not”.