The National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has stated that he has never discussed plans to succeed President Bola Tinubu in the 2031 presidential polls, as claimed by the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai.
El-Rufai, in an exclusive interview on Arise Television monitored by *The Guardian* on Monday night, alleged that the NSA boss’s stoic resolve to succeed President Bola Tinubu in the 2031 presidential polls has pitched him on a collision course with any northerners who want to stand in his way.
The founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) also accused Ribadu of engaging in name-calling and a campaign of calumny against him after he collaborated with Governor Uba Sani and officials of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC) to ensure that he was found guilty of looting over N423 billion while in office.
El-Rufai described the probe over alleged looting as a political witch-hunt against him and members of his cabinet, labelling both Governor Uba Sani and Ribadu as friends turned foes following their series of backstabbings in recent times.
But in a swift response to El-Rufai’s accusations on his X account on Monday night, the NSA boss hinted that he would not be engaging in a war of words with El-Rufai, adding that he would have ignored the former FCT minister if his silence would not be interpreted as absolute consent.
Miffed by El-Rufai’s allegations on national television, Ribadu maintained that he has never, at any point, spoken ill of the former Kaduna State governor, stressing that El-Rufai’s action negates his otherwise progressive attitude towards him and the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he laboured to build.
Ribadu then urged the general public to disregard El-Rufai’s allegations against him. He added that his primary focus is on how best to direct his attention and energy toward the advancement of Nigeria and the success of President Tinubu’s administration. Ribadu then appealed to El-Rufai to sheath his sword and not distract him from carrying out his onerous national assignment.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I want to put it on record that I have never discussed running for president in 2031 with anybody.
“All my focus and energy are directed entirely towards the advancement of Nigeria and the success of President Tinubu’s administration,” Ribadu wrote on X.
