Under The Microscope: El-Rufai Grapples With Public Scrutiny

Before Thursday’s drama, which saw Kaduna’s former Governor, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, squeal over what awaited him upon his return to Nigeria after his year-end holiday, the former holder of power, who had tasted what it meant to wield authority, was determined to confront any action aimed at tampering with his freedom. Less than 36 hours after the airport incident that attracted traction across various social media platforms, the brain box of Nigeria’s opposition politics had predicted his imminent predicament, putting his supporters on alert over what was about to befall him.

Dreadful Prognosis

For those unfamiliar with events preceding the Cairo trip, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) invited the former governor in December last year regarding certain financial dealings by his administration. Upon being informed of the invitation, it was natural for el-Rufai to expect security personnel to be waiting for his return. A few hours after the airport performance, the former governor’s lawyers on Thursday declared that their client was due to appear before the EFCC on Monday, February 16, 2026. The eight-year rule of the former FCT minister is now the subject of an intense investigation, which has led to the arrest of some of his associates.

The inquiry by the Kaduna State House of Assembly that uncovered alleged financial malfeasance remains a cause for concern. Despite assertions by state lawmakers that Kaduna’s finances suffered a heavy haemorrhage under his watch, the former helmsman has continued to contend that he never stole a dime from the treasury.

The man, who launched the same-faith ticket in 2023 but is now remorseful about his action, has vowed to frustrate the comeback bid of the incumbent president, Bola Ahmed Tinubu. However, in his irrevocable resolve to lead the charge against the man he supported to become President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor, the former governor is enraged at the rejection of ministerial nomination and is deeply committed to making 2027 a metaphor for political revenge. Now, a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), el-Rufai’s firepower to unleash collateral damage, has been considerably weakened by his antecedents as governor.

Interminable Woes

His return to the country on Thursday reflects his resolve to face the avalanche of charges awaiting him.  The man accused of silencing the opposition voices, including jailing reporters and perceived enemies, is set to serve his punishment by tasting the medicines he administered to his foes while serving as the governor. If the saying, “What goes around comes around,” is true, then the Zaria-born Quantity Surveyor is prepared to confront a legal battle that could diminish the floodlights on his person in the weeks and months to come. As with men and women in power who once wielded the big stick, El-Rufai, nicknamed Mallam Rusau (Demolisher), wore a plastic smile to conceal his anxiety.

Amid wailings and lamentations at the 2015 inauguration, in which he described the state as heavily indebted, with foreign loans totaling over $200 million, at the end of his eight-year reign, the foreign component of the state debt had bourgeoned to nearly $500 million after receiving a World Bank loan of $350 million. His strides as governor included transforming Kaduna State into the national epicentre of abductions and other forms of insecurity, thus providing a safe haven for criminals. Whatever he achieved in the first year of his two-year leadership, mutual hostility among the various descended into complete neglect of the southern part that he accused of demonstrating hostility to his administration.

 Running To Nowhere

For the former privatisation czar, appointed Director General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) by President Olusegun Obasanjo to oversee the administration’s privatisation programme between 1999 and 2003, the chickens are coming home to roost. The claim that el-Rufai is being subjected to legal intimidation amid growing political hostility toward opposition elements is false. Nearly three years after he left power, a probe by state lawmakers, whose report was forwarded to the EFCC, led to the interrogation of his cronies.

Nigerians must reject the claim that the former governor is being hounded for being an opposition figure. The tragedy of El-Rufai’s characterisation rests on his refusal to recognise that, no matter how long it takes, leaders must be held accountable for their actions. The time has come to reveal the true wielder of power.

If only the former governor had known there would come a time like this, certain overreach would have been avoided. Considering el-Rufai’s present dream of ensuring the total defeat of President Tinubu and Governor Uba Sani in 2027, the road to realising this dream is freckled with several curves that may be too difficult to negotiate. No matter where El-Rufai runs, his political future is predictably mired in trust deficits.

As it is, the governor’s loyalists, who have been subjected to interrogations, could as well turn out to be major determinants of his fate. In interrogating the process, the final table where the bug stops must dismiss itself of complicity in the alleged rape of the state. For now, el-Rufai is not guilty of any crime. All he needs to do on Monday is get his file and walk confidently, and prove his innocence.