BY SEGUN ADEBAYO – The Immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai says he holds no hard feelings toward former colleagues and close associates who have chosen to remain silent over his ongoing political and legal troubles.
In a reflective public statement titled, “My Relationships and the Aftermath,” El-Rufai addressed growing concerns raised by supporters regarding the stark silence and quiet response from friends and individuals he had previously helped, elevated or worked with closely in the recent past.
The former governor’s message, considered by many political commentators as a definitive commentary on loyalty and betrayal within Nigeria’s political landscape, noted that challenging times often show the true nature of human connections.
The former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister further explained that his actions have never been motivated by expectations of praise, gratitude or reciprocity, but by his conviction that they were the right things to do, noting that those he had supported were equally free to make their own choices now that their circumstances had changed.
While acknowledging the fractures his situation might cause, Malam el-Rufai said though some allies would speak out in his support, and others would retreat into silence or cut ties entirely, he has no reason to cast blame. adding: “Their reasons are their own, and I do not wish to judge them merely because their response differs from what others or even I might have expected.”
The former governor said difficult circumstances could reveal the nature of relationships, adding that the experience of the past few months might cause him to reconsider some relationships because “Adversity has a way of illuminating relationships”.
On lessons learnt during this difficult period that could lead him to “quietly and without regret” reassess certain relationships and what people who look up to him expect from them, he stressed that such reassessment should not be interpreted as condemnation or reproach, insisting there is no cause no regrets about supporting people or causes whenever he believed doing so was right.
“I bear no resentment towards anyone who chooses not to do the same for me,” the former Governor said, adding that he would rather remain faithful to the principles that had guided his conduct than allow the actions of others to change those principles.
Addressing issues around any perceived injustice, ingratitude or injury against him, El-Rufai rejected suggestions of seeking revenge or retribution, saying: “Ultimate accountability belongs to Almighty Allah, and I leave that judgment to Him, in this world and in the Hereafter.”
The former Kaduna State Governor, who has so far spent 220 days in custody, has remained a fierce critic of the President Tinubu administration, with many commentators framing his prolonged detention as a politically motivated witch-hunt.
Breaking his silence on the ordeal and the quietude of his former allies, El-Rufai maintained that his only ambition is to remain “at peace with my conscience and, above all, with Almighty Allah.”
Defiant in the face of captivity, he said while every actor must ultimately live with the consequences of their choices, posterity would form its own judgment, adding, “My only concern is to remain at peace with my conscience and, above all, with Almighty Allah.”
