 Nuhu Ribadu of lying about never having accused President Bola Tinubu of corruption during his tenure as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).){kind=link}
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu of lying about never having accused President Bola Tinubu of corruption during his tenure as chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
El-Rufai also suggested that Ribadu may be suffering from “memory loss.”
The controversy erupted after Hajia Naja’atu Muhammad, a former commissioner with the Police Service Commission, claimed in a TikTok video that Ribadu had described President Tinubu, Senators George Akume and Orji Uzor Kalu, as highly corrupt during his time with the EFCC.
In response, Ribadu’s lawyer, Dr. Ahmed Raji, SAN, demanded a public apology and retraction, stating that the accusations were baseless and tarnished Ribadu’s reputation.
Raji’s letter to Muhammad insisted that Ribadu had never made such statements about President Tinubu, and he challenged her to provide evidence to support her claims.
He further accused her of making contradictory statements that cast Ribadu as dishonest.
Stepping into the dispute, El-Rufai, who served as Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister in 2006 when the alleged corruption accusations were made, dismissed Ribadu’s denial.
He referenced Senate records and minutes from Federal Executive Council (FEC) meetings as evidence that Ribadu had indeed accused Tinubu and other former governors of corruption.
El-Rufai emphasized that the official records of the Senate and a 2007 Daily Trust report would confirm the allegations.
He added that FEC meeting conclusions from 2006 would further substantiate the claims made by Ribadu’s EFCC, which had accused several high-ranking officials of corruption at the time.
The former governor concluded that while people’s opinions may change, it is important to address inconsistencies in public statements rather than remain silent.
Efforts to contact Ribadu for a response were unsuccessful, as neither he nor his spokesperson could be reached for comment.