The wife of the troubled governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, Asiya El-Rufai, has responded to claims that her husband is viewed as a political threat.
“Why would anyone be afraid of political competition? Democracy should allow opponents to compete freely, rather than be intimidated.”
The lawyer was reported to have said this during an appearance on Arise Television.
“They think he’s a threat?” she said. Is he a risk? Why not test it? Why don’t they let him go and see if he’s really a threat or not? Fear of what? What can he do? He’s a person. He is one man. “Yes, he’s smart.” Yes, he’s smart. Yeah, he’s tactical. Yes, he’s powerful. But isn’t politics all about competing? Why do we fear competition? If we know that we have done well why should we run away from facing the opposition?
El-Rufai also said her family had supported his 2023 election saying they expected “basic courtesy” in return, while adding that President Bola Tinubu should not interfere with the trial.
She said the President may not have the power to stop the prosecution, but he has the power to ensure that the relevant agencies act fairly and follow the law.
I know what we went through. My husband supported President Tinubu because he is an honourable man. He fought everybody, he even fought President Buhari. He went to court against the President just to make sure that this agreement would stand. So yes I mentioned it because it’s normal to expect basic courtesy from someone that you’ve done so much for. “I campaigned for him myself,” she said.
“The President can’t stop anything, but he can tell them to do the right thing,” she added.