Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has backed Northern Star leader, Najaatu Muhammad, in her claims against the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.
Muhammad, in a viral TikTok video, alleged that Ribadu, during his tenure as Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), discredited President Bola Tinubu and other top politicians now in government. She claimed that Ribadu, in 2007, vowed to frustrate then-Governors Tinubu, George Akume of Benue State, and Orji Kalu of Abia State.
However, Ribadu, through his lawyer Ahmed Raji, SAN, denied the allegations in a letter on Tuesday, demanding a public apology and retraction from Muhammad. The letter stated that Ribadu “has never maintained such a viewpoint” and challenged Muhammad to provide evidence.
El-Rufai has now weighed in, posting on Facebook a screenshot of an old newspaper article supporting Muhammad’s claims. He insisted that Ribadu did make the statements, citing records from the Senate and the Federal Executive Council (FEC) in 2006.
“The record of proceedings in the Senate will confirm that Nuhu made those statements, sometime in 2006,” El-Rufai wrote. “The conclusions of the Federal Executive Council in 2006, which can be subpoenaed from the Cabinet Secretariat of the SGF’s office, contain the allegations.”
He further stated that Ribadu’s EFCC had made similar accusations against many sitting officials during that time.
“This is for the record and to remind the morally-flexible that at some point in our national life, silence is no longer golden,” El-Rufai concluded.
The controversy has stirred fresh debates over past and present anti-corruption efforts, with many now awaiting Ribadu’s response to El-Rufai’s challenge.
