ABUJA, Nigeria – Former Kaduna State Governor and former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, has broken his silence regarding the apparent withdrawal and public silence of colleagues, political allies, and close friends whom he previously defended during their own tribulations, declaring that while adversity has illuminated his relationships, he bears no resentment, retribution, or regrets, political correspondents monitored in Abuja on Thursday morning, September 24, 2026.
The philosophical intervention, published late Wednesday night in a personal signed dispatch titled “My Relationships and the Aftermath,” comes against the backdrop of an intense, turbulent period in the former governor’s public life, marked by ongoing trials at the Federal High Court in Abuja, prolonged detention since February 2026 under anti-graft scrutiny, and an increasingly bitter political estrangement from his successor in Kaduna, Governor Uba Sani.
Okay News reports that El-Rufai stated that his statement was prompted by widespread inquiries and expressions of concern from supporters who observed that several prominent figures who once enjoyed his fierce public backing have conspicuously maintained silence or distanced themselves as his legal and political battles mounted.
The former governor maintained that his historical interventions on behalf of associates and public causes were undertaken strictly out of moral conviction, civic conscience, and his Islamic faith, rather than transactional calculations of future loyalty or political reciprocity.
“Throughout my life, I have tried to do what I could for my colleagues and friends, my family and humanity at large, guided by my Islamic faith, my Arewa upbringing, my personal values and, above all, my conscience,” El-Rufai stated. “Over the years, I have stood by people and for causes I believed in, sometimes in difficult circumstances and at considerable personal cost. I did so not in expectation of praise, gratitude or reciprocity, but because I believed it was right. Those were choices I made freely, and I remain answerable for them.”
El-Rufai observed that those he once championed retain equal freedom to navigate their current associations, noting without bitterness that shifting political tides often reveal the fragile nature of earthly alliances.
“By the same token, those I have supported are free to make their own choices now that circumstances are reversed,” he affirmed. “Some may speak; others may remain silent. Others may even deny our relationship or try rewriting history. 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.”
Reflecting on human nature and political friendship, the former governor noted that times of trial provide clarity rather than cause for despair, explaining that painful experiences offer an unvarnished view of personal loyalty.
“Adversity has a way of illuminating relationships,” El-Rufai wrote. “What I learn in difficult times like the past few months may lead me, quietly and without regret, to reconsider the nature of certain relationships and what those that look up to me expect of them. That is neither reproach nor condemnation; it is simply part of seeing people, and life, more clearly.”
He insisted that the perceived abandonment will not compromise his personal values, rejecting calls from supporters for future political vengeance against former proteges and colleagues who deserted his camp.
“I have no regrets about standing by people or for causes when I believed it was right to do so, and I bear no resentment towards anyone who chooses not to do the same for me,” he added. “I would rather remain true to the principles that have guided my own conduct than allow the conduct of others to redefine them. As for any injustice, ingratitude or injury done to me, I seek neither revenge nor retribution. Ultimate accountability belongs to Almighty Allah, and I leave that judgment to Him, in this world and in the Hereafter.”
El-Rufai concluded by stating that each individual must ultimately account for their choices before God and history, affirming that his focus remains anchored on maintaining peace with his creator and his conscience as the courts prepare to rule on his pending applications next month.
