Former Special Adviser on Political Matters to President Bola Tinubu, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, on Tuesday said the allegations surrounding former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, should be subjected to judicial scrutiny rather than dismissed as mere political disagreements.
Naija News reports that Baba-Ahmed made the call while speaking on Channels Television’s programme Political Paradigm, amid the growing public rift between El-Rufai and the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
He urged that all claims and counterclaims be tested in court to establish the truth.
Baba-Ahmed said, “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.”
The remarks follow recent claims by El-Rufai that Ribadu ordered his “abduction” at the Abuja airport. The former governor alleged that associates tapped the NSA’s phone and heard him directing security operatives to take him into custody.
El-Rufai also accused Ribadu of influencing investigations by anti-corruption agencies and the Kaduna State House of Assembly, suggesting a political motive linked to a possible 2031 presidential ambition.
He further raised concerns about the alleged procurement of thallium sulphate by the Office of the National Security Adviser, calling for transparency and clarification.
Ribadu has denied the allegations, describing claims of a presidential ambition as baseless and insisting that anti-corruption agencies operate independently.
Reacting to the deteriorating relationship between the two men, Baba-Ahmed described the development as troubling for Nigeria’s political culture.
He said, “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.”
Offering personal advice to the former governor, Baba-Ahmed said El-Rufai should concentrate on clearing himself of corruption allegations.
“Mallam El-Rufai by character is a very difficult person to advise… 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…” he added.
