‘I warned El-Rufai to go on exile or they would jail him’ — Buba Galadima

A chieftain of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Buba Galadima, has accused President Bola Tinubu and his associates of ingratitude towards former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, despite his alleged contributions to Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election.

Galadima made the allegation during an interview on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast, where he disclosed that he had advised El-Rufai to consider going into exile following the deterioration of his relationship with the President.

According to him, he warned the former governor that remaining in Nigeria could expose him to the risk of imprisonment.

“Tinubu and his people are ingrates as far as El-Rufai is concerned. I’m not the best friend of El-Rufai. In fact, I advised him that he should be careful of the way he carries himself, that he either goes on exile or they will jail him,” he said.

Galadima added that he had previously expressed concerns about El-Rufai’s situation during interviews with the BBC and Nigerian television stations.

He further claimed that he approached former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, to persuade El-Rufai against returning to Nigeria after learning that the former Kaduna governor was planning to travel back from Egypt.

“I went and met Kwankwaso and told Kwankwaso that he should beg El-Rufai not to come back. These people do not mean well to him,” Galadima stated.

He said Kwankwaso subsequently contacted El-Rufai, who initially postponed his planned return before later announcing another date and eventually returning to the country.

Galadima described El-Rufai’s decision to return to Nigeria as an act of bravery, alleging that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was determined to retain power by any means.

He argued that some members of the ruling party were concerned about the consequences of losing power because of their alleged past actions.

“The desperation with which the APC is going, they can do anything under the sun to come back to power, because they know what it entails if they lose power; what they have done to people will visit them,” he said.

Galadima’s comments come amid political tensions surrounding El-Rufai and his relationship with the Tinubu administration, with the NDC chieftain alleging that the former governor could face persecution.

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