El-Rufai Supports Naja’atu, Challenges Ribadu to Prove Past Corruption Allegations Against Tinubu

Former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, has backed political activist Hajia Naja’atu Mohammed in her recent claim that National Security Adviser (NSA) Malam Nuhu Ribadu once labeled President Bola Tinubu as the most corrupt politician.

This comes after Ribadu denied the accusation, demanding that Naja’atu apologize within seven days for her TikTok video, which spread widely across social media. Ribadu, through his lawyer Dr. Ahmed Raji, argued that he had never accused Tinubu of corruption, either publicly or privately.

In her viral video, Naja’atu alleged that Ribadu had once condemned President Tinubu during his tenure as the chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) but had since shifted to defend him after joining his government.

Ribadu, expressing frustration, claimed the damage to his reputation from the video was immense.

However, el-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna, has intervened in the matter, aligning himself with Naja’atu. In a post shared on his Facebook page on Wednesday, el-Rufai argued that Ribadu may be suffering from “serious amnesia” and asserted that Naja’atu’s claims were accurate.

El-Rufai pointed to historical records, including proceedings from the Senate in 2006, and a Daily Trust article from February 2007, both of which reportedly back Naja’atu’s statement. He also referenced a Federal Executive Council meeting in 2006, in which Ribadu’s EFCC allegedly presented similar accusations about sitting officials, including Tinubu.

To strengthen his argument, el-Rufai mentioned that the conclusions of the FEC meeting could be subpoenaed from the Cabinet Secretariat of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

“This is for the record,” el-Rufai concluded, emphasizing that silence should no longer be seen as a virtue when the truth is at stake.