•Hakeem Baba-Ahmed and Nasir El-Rufai
Former Special Adviser on Political Matters to Vice President Kashim Shettima, Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has cautioned former Kaduna State governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, warning that the ex-governor’s confrontational posture is compounding his legal and political troubles.
Speaking on Channels Television, Baba-Ahmed said El-Rufai appears unwilling to embrace restraint at a moment that demands caution and strategic recalibration.
“Unfortunately, Mallam Nasiru, by character, is a very difficult person to advise,” he said.
He argued that el-Rufai’s primary focus should be addressing the corruption allegations linked to his tenure in Kaduna State rather than expanding the scope of confrontation.
“This is a government that takes no prisoners. They are alleging that while he was in office, he embezzled money and stole money,” Baba-Ahmed stated.
He cautioned that escalation could only deepen the crisis.
“When you find yourself in a ditch, stop digging. The first rule of being in a ditch is to stop digging,” he said, adding that recent actions by the former governor have only “escalated and reinforced the hostility against him.”
“Now they are saying we have three issues against you. You have to answer questions about your custody of the people of Kaduna State’s money. Then you have to answer our questions regarding the comments you made on live TV that you are involved in bugging Mallam Nuhu Ribadu’s phone. Now you’ve written a letter revealing the notice you have that the National Security Adviser is in custody of poisonous material. How far do you want to go in this”, he questioned.
He looked at the issue from a broader political perspective, noting that el-Rufai’s value to the African Democratic Congress lies in political effectiveness rather than prolonged entanglement in legal and security controversies.
“You’re a very prominent member of the ADC. You are more useful to the ADC as a free man, not encumbered by a lot of allegations and fights,” Baba-Ahmed said.
“There are just so many fronts that you’ll fight. So try and limit the damage. Focus your attention on getting yourself cleaned up, on the allegation that you stole money from the people of Kaduna State”, he added.
His remarks come amid a swirl of controversies surrounding el-Rufai.
Apart from the corruption allegations tied to his time as governor, the former minister recently acknowledged accessing an intercepted telephone conversation involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
During a televised appearance, he admitted the act was illegal but claimed such surveillance practices are routinely carried out within government circles.
The situation intensified further after el-Rufai wrote to the Office of the National Security Adviser seeking clarification over reports of the alleged procurement of about 10 kilogrammes of thallium sulphate, a toxic substance.
The correspondence added a security dimension to an already politically charged environment.
Compounding the tensions were reports of an alleged attempt by security operatives to arrest el-Rufai at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport upon his return from Cairo.
The episode fuelled perceptions of a deepening standoff between the former governor and elements of the security establishment.
Earlier, on January 30, el-Rufai had publicly called on Ribadu to clarify reports concerning the alleged procurement of thallium sulphate by the Office of the National Security Adviser.
But Baba-Ahmed argued that such patterns suggests escalation rather than containment.
“If you put all these things together,” he said, “Mallam Nasir el-Rufai seems to have ignored that proverb: if you’re in a ditch, stop digging.”
