‘FG, Tinubu Very Scared Of El-Rufai’ – Barde

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and retired broadcaster, Mohammed Barde, has alleged that President Bola Tinubu and leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) view former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as a political threat.

Naija News reports that Barde claimed that the legal challenges facing El-Rufai were driven by political considerations rather than purely judicial processes.

He made the allegations during an interview with Trust TV on Friday.

According to him, the former Kaduna governor’s growing influence within Nigeria’s political landscape had unsettled the ruling party and the Presidency.

Barde alleged that El-Rufai’s political stature had made him a source of concern for the APC leadership.

He said, “The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, is scared of Nasir, very, very scared of him. People in government are scared of Nasir.

“He has become an enigma to the APC and the Presidency. They don’t want him to be free, and that’s why they are keeping him there.”

The ADC stalwart did not provide evidence to support the allegation.

‘Others Are Not Facing Similar Treatment’

Barde argued that some former governors who had faced allegations of more serious misconduct had remained free, while El-Rufai was being prosecuted.

He said the contrast suggested that the former Kaduna governor was being singled out because of his political relevance.

Asked why other opposition figures, including former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, and former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, had not faced similar legal action, Barde maintained that El-Rufai occupied a unique position in the country’s political equation.

“I believe Nasir is in this situation because the President and all the people in the APC are scared of him,” he said.

The retired broadcaster also claimed that El-Rufai played a key role in the political rise of Tinubu and several other national leaders.

According to him, the former governor made significant contributions to the political successes of some of the country’s leading figures but had not received due recognition for those efforts.