By Olaitan Ibrahim
Former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, has said he won’t opt for exile despite the many rumours that he might be arrested and tortured by President Bola Tinubu’s administration.
El-Rufai, who had been locked in a battle of words with the Presidency and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, said he won’t be intimidated by the current administration.
In a response to a post by an X user, Imran Wakili, on the alleged plot to arrest him, the former governor said he would return to Nigeria from Egypt before February 20, 2025.
He said: “I have been hearing these same rumours of arrest, detention and torture in some dungeon in the NSA’s office (where Emefiele was allegedly tortured to resign as CBN governor), since July 2024 when the so-called report of the Kaduna Assembly began circulating.
“They freaked out when we challenged the legality of the premeditated defamation and went to every length to compromise the judicial process, and this is continuing at the Court of Appeal.
“They have sent such 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.
“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.
“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 of previous governments.
“There is always a morning after the arrest or detention or torture, and political life continues. As for death, it is when Allah destines it, and it is ultimately the date of every human.
“For the attention of the pathetic characters that don’t sleep well whenever I am in Nigeria, take notice that I intend to return in time for the launch of former President IBB’s memoirs, in sha Allah, scheduled for February 20.
“We depend on no one but Allah. We fear no mortal but Almighty Allah. We always hope for the best but plan for the worst.”