By Gideon Njoku
Buba Galadima, the fiery chieftain of the Nigera Democratic Congress, NDC, has accused President Bola Tinubu and his associates of ingratitude towards a former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
El-Rufai has been in custody since after he returned from Egypt and reported himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC. Since that about seven months ago, El-Rufai has been faced with sundry allegations including corruption, money laundering and the wire-tapping of the telephone lines of the National Security Adviser, NSA. Subsequently, he has moved from the EFCC to the ICPC and to Kaduna State where he was confronted with another set of allegations.
Even though he has been granted bail, the conditions attached to it has been impossible for him to fulfill. A request for its review has not been successful. This has prompted not a few people to conclude that the former Governor’s ordeal is political, otherwise, they ask, why keep him locked up for seven months and counting.
For Galadima, however, El-Rufai’s situation borders on ingratitude on the part of President Tinubu and his associates.
He made this accusation when he spoke on the Naija Unfiltered Podcast. Speaking, he recalled the very significant role he claimed that El-Rufai played in the making of President Bola Tinubu. He said that the now detained former Governor contributed in no small measure to President Tinubu’s victory in the 2023 presidential election.
Galadima, therefore, said that El-Rufai should have been treated differently because of his past political contribution to the emergence of the Tinubu Presidency.
He said: “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.”
Galadima disclosed that he was among those who became worried about El-Rufai’s situation early enough and, so, warned him about the serious consequences he might encounter after his relationship with the Tinubu administration went sour.
To save El-Rufai, Galadima disclosed that he went to Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, in an attempt to stop El-Rufai from returning to Nigeria after leaving the country.
“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,”
The elder statesman regretted that after an initial postponement, El-Rufai decided to come back to Nigeria against all advice.
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