Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has said the difficult circumstances he has faced in recent months have given him a clearer understanding of some of his relationships, including with friends, colleagues and associates who have remained silent….
Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has said the difficult circumstances he has faced in recent months have given him a clearer understanding of some of his relationships, including with friends, colleagues and associates who have remained silent.
El-Rufai made the remarks in a personal statement titled “My Relationships and the Aftermath”, dated September 23, 2026.
The former governor said he had stood by people and causes over the years based on his Islamic faith, Arewa upbringing, personal values and conscience, rather than in expectation of praise or reciprocity.
“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,” he said.
El-Rufai said those he had previously supported were free to decide how they would respond to his present circumstances.
“Those I have supported are free to make their own choices now that circumstances are reversed,” he said.
He added that some could speak, remain silent, distance themselves from past relationships or attempt to rewrite their history, but said he did not intend to judge them.
“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,” he said.
Reflecting on the experience, El-Rufai said, “Adversity has a way of illuminating relationships.”
He said the events of the past few months might lead him to reconsider some relationships, but stressed that such reflection should not be viewed as condemnation.
“That is neither reproach nor condemnation; it is simply part of seeing people, and life, more clearly,” he said.
El-Rufai said he had no regrets about supporting people when he believed it was the right thing to do and would not allow the conduct of others to change his principles.
“I bear no resentment towards anyone who chooses not to do the same for me,” he said.
He also ruled out retaliation over what he described as any injustice, ingratitude or injury against him.
“As for any injustice, ingratitude or injury done to me, I seek neither revenge nor retribution,” El-Rufai said.
“Ultimate accountability belongs to Almighty Allah, and I leave that judgment to Him, in this world and in the Hereafter.”
He concluded by saying his priority was to remain at peace with his conscience and his faith, while leaving the judgment of individual choices to posterity.
“In the end, each of us must live with the choices we make, and posterity will render whatever verdict it sees fit,” he said.
The statement comes as El-Rufai faces ongoing legal proceedings. In a separate Federal High Court case in Abuja involving allegations of unlawful interception of telephone communications, the court on September 22 fixed October 26, 2026, to rule on his no-case submission. El-Rufai has pleaded not guilty to the amended five-count charge.
