Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has vowed to remain in Nigeria despite speculations about a possible arrest, stating that he will not be intimidated into leaving the country.
El-Rufai made the statement in response to a post by X user Imran Wakili, who claimed there were plans to arrest and detain him. Reacting to the claim, El-Rufai noted that such threats had been ongoing since July 2024, following a report by the Kaduna State Assembly.
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“They have sent similar messages of intimidation and threats through many of my friends, family, and political associates because they want me to go on self-imposed exile. I will not,” he wrote.
The former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) also revealed that he had adjusted his plans to remain in the country, emphasizing that he would no longer stay silent on national issues.
“I have now put all my previous academic and language-learning plans on hold and will spend more time in Nigeria than ever before. Silence is no longer golden. Inaction has never been an option,” he added.
He described arrests and intimidation as common tactics used against dissenting voices.
“The arrest, detention and torture of perceived political enemies are nothing new in human affairs. I have been arrested and detained thrice in the past for expressing my views on previous governments,” he said.
Currently in Egypt, El-Rufai stated that he would return to Nigeria in time for the launch of former President Ibrahim Babangida’s memoirs on February 20, 2025.
El-Rufai has been vocal in his criticism of the All Progressives Congress (APC), expressing dissatisfaction with its leadership. He recently stated that he no longer recognizes the party, accusing it of lacking internal democracy. “No party organ has met in two years-no caucus, no NEC, nothing. You don’t even know if it is a one-man show; it’s a zero-man show,” he stated.
