A Kaduna-based legal practitioner and former National Legal Adviser of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Barrister Mark Jacob, has urged Nigerians to ignore former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, describing him as someone seeking attention rather than addressing genuine public concerns.
Speaking exclusively to newsmen on the recent arrest of El-Rufai by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Jacob said, “El-Rufai wants to be heard and the more attention you give to him, the more he enjoys it. He should be ignored and be allowed to fight the battle with APC he brought to power.”
He added, “El-Rufai has boasted over and over in the past that they are the owners of the North, and that they are the owners of Nigeria. They are the movers and shakers of APC. When he was celebrating the Muslim/Muslim victory, he boasted that it was just a testing ground for the grand design they have for country so that after they have implemented the Muslim/Muslim issue in Kaduna and taken to the national, they will perpetuate their holding to power both in Kaduna and Nigeria.
“So whatever a man sows, so shall he reap. I see everything going on as the grand design of the APC. The whole thing happening is the law of Kama and it will catch up with everybody.”
Jacob also advised caution for those in power, stressing the short tenure of authority in a democratic system like Nigeria.
He said, “The APC that El-Rufai, Bola Tinubu, Mohammad Buhari and others gave birth to is an evil contraction that means no good to anybody. That is the more reason why Nigerians are suffering since 2015. Everything this country laboured for has been destroyed. Both at the National and international level. Nigeria has missed it and we have become a laughing stock and nobody takes Nigeria seriously anywhere.
“We have no value, we are just a setup. The world looks at us and shakes its head because Nigeria was projected to provide leadership in Africa. Sadly, those in power do not seem to realize the position they have brought Nigeria into. They are not bothered about what happens in the country but are busy driving the most expensive cars and getting ready for 2027 general elections.”
He added that El-Rufai’s arrest by the EFCC contributes little to addressing the urgent needs of Kaduna citizens, especially civil servants facing job insecurity. “These are issues that should take the center stage in the state,” he said, lamenting that “the civil service has been destroyed by the APC with jobs taken over by contractors. What is the hope of the common man? It should be the issue to be looked into with a view of putting things in order for the overall benefits of the people.”
Meanwhile, political analyst Suleiman Abubaksr told DAILY POST, “The strength of any democracy lies in its respect for the rule of law. No individual, no matter how highly placed or politically influential, should be above legal scrutiny. When a public figure openly admits on national television that a phone belonging to the National Security Adviser was tapped for his benefit, the matter ceases to be political rhetoric and becomes a serious legal concern.”
Abubaksr noted that El-Rufai reportedly acknowledged during a television interview that someone tapped the National Security Adviser’s phone so he could listen to a private conversation, adding that when veteran journalist Charles Aniagolu pointed out that such an act was illegal, El-Rufai agreed.
He stressed, “This is not a trivial issue. The office of the National Security Adviser plays a central role in safeguarding Nigeria’s security framework. If the communication of such a sensitive office can be illegally intercepted, it raises disturbing questions about national security, institutional protection, and the rule of law.
“In any serious society, an admission of involvement in illegal surveillance would immediately trigger investigation. Who carried out the tapping? Under whose authority was it done? Was it sanctioned by any lawful court order, or was it a rogue operation? These are not political questions; they are legal and security questions that demand answers.”
Abubaksr clarified that calling for El-Rufai’s arrest and questioning is not persecution but a demand for accountability. “If an ordinary citizen admitted to participating in an illegal interception of a top security official’s communication, that citizen would certainly be invited for questioning as the same standard must apply to a former governor.”
He emphasized the need for equal application of the law, warning against selective justice. “There is also a dangerous trend in Nigerian politics where lawful scrutiny is quickly framed as political victimization. Should the authorities decide to invite El-Rufai for questioning, it must not be twisted into a narrative of tyranny or witch-hunt. President Bola Tinubu or any administration in power has a constitutional responsibility to uphold the law, not to shield allies or pursue enemies.
“The demand here is simple: let due process take its course. Let the security agencies investigate. Let the facts be established. If wrongdoing is confirmed, consequences should follow in accordance with the law. If not, the individual involved will have the opportunity to clear his name through lawful procedures,” he submitted.
Similarly, APC stalwart Alhaji Suleiman Haruna insisted that the law must take its course against the former governor, alleging that El-Rufai had shown disregard for the judiciary while in office.
He said, “The former governor should be made to face the full wrath of the law if found guilty of any offense he committed. As Nigerians, we are watching to see what will happen to him. Will justice be done to him or it will amount to nothing?”
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