Reloaded News Desk
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has said he bears no hatred or resentment towards former colleagues, friends and family members who have remained silent or distanced themselves from him during his current difficulties.
El-Rufai made the position known in a personal statement titled “My Relationships and the Aftermath”, dated September 23 and published on his social media accounts.
The former governor said he had supported people and causes over the years because of his Islamic faith, Arewa upbringing, personal values and conscience, rather than because he expected praise, gratitude or reciprocity.
He acknowledged that some people he had previously supported had chosen not to stand by him during his present circumstances.
“Those I have supported are free to make their own choices now that circumstances are reversed. Some may speak; others may remain silent. Others may even deny our relationship or try rewriting history,” he said.
El-Rufai said he did not intend to judge those individuals simply because their response differed from what he or others might have expected.
He nevertheless acknowledged that the experience had changed the way he viewed some relationships.
“Adversity has a way of illuminating relationships,” the former governor said, adding that his experiences could lead him to reconsider the nature of certain relationships and what people who look up to him expect from them.
He stressed that such reflection should not be interpreted as condemnation.
“That is neither reproach nor condemnation; it is simply part of seeing people, and life, more clearly,” he said.
El-Rufai, who served as Kaduna governor from 2015 to 2023, said he had no regrets about standing by people or causes whenever he believed doing so was right.
He also said the actions of others would not make him abandon the principles that had guided his decisions.
“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 said.
On any injustice, ingratitude or injury he believes he may have suffered, El-Rufai said he would not seek revenge or retribution.
“Ultimate accountability belongs to Almighty Allah, and I leave that judgment to Him, in this world and in the Hereafter,” he said.
His comments come against the backdrop of his ongoing legal difficulties.
El-Rufai has been held by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over allegations arising from investigations into his tenure as Kaduna governor. He has denied wrongdoing and challenged the proceedings and his continued detention.
The former governor’s political network has also experienced changes in recent weeks.
One of his former political associates and ex-Chief of Staff, Bashir Sa’idu, recently announced his return to the All Progressives Congress after previously moving with El-Rufai’s camp to the African Democratic Congress. Other former associates have also publicly shifted their political positions ahead of the 2027 elections.
Against that background, El-Rufai’s statement carries both a personal and political dimension, although he did not name the individuals he was referring to or accuse them of any specific wrongdoing.
He ended the statement by saying he remained focused on maintaining peace with his conscience and with Almighty Allah.
“In the end, each of us must live with the choices we make, and posterity will render whatever verdict it sees fit,” he said.
