Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, former special adviser on political matters to Vice-President Kashim Shettima, has criticised Nasir el-Rufai, ex-Kaduna governor, over his recent actions amid corruption allegations.
Baba-Ahmed spoke on Tuesday during ‘Political Paradigm’, a programme on Channels Television.
“Well, unfortunately, Mallam Nasiru, by character, is a very difficult person to advise,” he said.
“Because if he was amenable to advise, I am sure somewhere along the line there would be someone who would say, ‘try and do some damage control’.
“This is a government that takes no prisoners. They are alleging, they are trying to throw before a judge to say, we have evidence that while he was in office, Mallam Nasiru el-Rufai, he embezzled money and stole money.
“There’s a proverb that says ‘when you find yourself in a ditch, stop digging’. The first rule of being in the ditch is stop digging.
“So everything that had happened since his return was just simply escalating and reinforcing the hostility against him.”
He added that el-Rufai was initially dealing with allegations of corruption.
Baba-Ahmed noted that the former minister then made statements on live television suggesting that he or someone he knew had been involved in illegal activities.
“Then, now you wrote a letter under your own signature, asking the National Security Adviser to comment or shed light on the importation of dangerous substances within his country,” he said.
“How far do you want to go in this?”
Responding to a question on whether el-Rufai should have refrained from writing to the NSA, Baba-Ahmed said he would have counselled restraint.
“Well, I’m saying that if I was advising Nasiru under these very difficult circumstances, I would have said, one, you’re a very prominent member of the ADC,” he said.
“You are more useful to the ADC as a free man, not encumbered by a lot of allegations and fights.
“There are just so many, so few fronts that you’ll fight. So try and limit the damage.
“Focus your attention on getting yourself cleaned up, on the allegation that you stole money from the people of Kaduna state.
“But apparently that advice wasn’t given to him, or he didn’t want it. Now, they are saying we have three issues against you.
“One, you have to answer questions about your custody of the people of Kaduna state’s money.
“Then, you have to answer our questions regarding the comments you made on live TV that you are involved in bugging Mallam Nuhu Ribadu’s phone.
“Now, you’ve written a letter revealing the notice you have that the national security advisor is in custody of poisonous material.
“So, if you put all these things together, the point I’m making is that Mallam Nasir el-Rufai seems to have ignored that proverb, ‘if you’re in the ditch, stop digging’.”
The remarks come amid controversy surrounding an alleged attempt by security operatives to arrest el-Rufai at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport upon his return from Cairo.
On January 30, el-Rufai asked Ribadu to clarify reports of an alleged procurement of about 10 kilogrammes of thallium sulphate by the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA).
El-Rufai had also alleged, during an appearance on Prime Time on Arise Television, that he accessed an intercepted telephone conversation involving Ribadu.
The ex-governor acknowledged that the act was illegal but claimed that such practices are routinely carried out by the government.
