While supporting her stance, El-Rufai stated that Ribadu "must have serious amnesia" for denying the statement.
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasiru El-Rufai has backed Kano-based politician Naja’atu Mohammed in her claim that National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu previously accused President Bola Tinubu of being "the most corrupt politician."
While supporting her stance, El-Rufai stated that Ribadu "must have serious amnesia" for denying the statement.
El-Rufai’s remarks come amid a legal standoff between Ribadu and Mohammed. The NSA, through his lawyer, Dr Ahmed Raji (SAN), had demanded a public apology and retraction from Mohammed over a TikTok video in which she reiterated Ribadu’s past accusations against Tinubu. She, however, refused and challenged him to take her to court.
In defence of Mohammed, El-Rufai in an X post on Wednesday affirmed that Ribadu had, in fact, made the allegations while heading the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) in 2006. "Naja’atu’s statement is accurate," El-Rufai declared.
"The record of proceedings in the Senate will confirm that Nuhu made those statements, sometime in 2006.
He posted a newspaper page along with the tweet, saying the “subsequent Daily Trust report below of February 2007, reconfirms the essence of the statements”.
El-Rufai further cited official government records to support Mohammed’s claim.
"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 stated.
He revealed that during a special FEC meeting in 2006, Ribadu’s EFCC had presented similar accusations against multiple government officials, including Tinubu.
"In that Special FEC meeting in which I was a member, Nuhu’s EFCC made similar presentations accusing many sitting officials, sometime in 2006," El-Rufai noted.
According to him, these government documents would "further remove all doubts" about the authenticity of Ribadu’s past remarks on Tinubu’s corruption.
El-Rufai also took a swipe at those attempting to rewrite history, saying, "This is for the record and to remind the morally-flexible that at some point in our national life, silence is no longer golden."
Meanwhile, Mohammed remains defiant in her challenge to Ribadu. In a viral interview, she reiterated that the NSA had publicly declared Tinubu as corrupt when he was Lagos State governor.
"What I said was what Nuhu Ribadu himself said, and the comment is still on YouTube," she insisted.
She further questioned Ribadu’s shift in allegiance, arguing that his position as NSA had compromised his past stance.
"Just because the statement was made years back doesn’t mean it should be forgotten. Has he retracted his comment against Tinubu?" Mohammed asked.
With both Mohammed and El-Rufai standing firm, the controversy over Ribadu’s past allegations against Tinubu is unlikely to fade anytime soon.
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