Call Him A Tyrant When You’re Picked Up!” – Presidency Fires Back At El-Rufai

Temitope Ajayi, Senior Special Assistant to President Bola Tinubu on Media and Publicity, reacted in a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday, referencing statements El-Rufai made during an interview on ARISE Television.

According to Ajayi, El-Rufai acknowledged that someone had tapped the phone of the National Security Adviser (NSA) and that he listened to the recorded conversation. Ajayi noted that when the interviewer, Charles Aniagolu, pointed out that such an act would be illegal, El-Rufai conceded the point.

Ajayi argued that if authorities were to question or detain El-Rufai over the matter, he would likely accuse President Tinubu of authoritarianism.

“El-Rufai admitted on national television that someone tapped the NSA’s phone for him to listen to a conversation. When the interviewer stated that this was illegal, he agreed. If he is invited or picked up to identify the person responsible for the illegal phone tap, he would turn around to call President Tinubu a ‘tyrant’ and claim persecution,” Ajayi wrote.

Meanwhile, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that El-Rufai remains undeterred following the reported attempt by security operatives to arrest him at the airport on Thursday.

In a statement shared on his Facebook page on Friday, Atiku disclosed that he visited the former Kaduna State governor and found him in good spirits despite the incident.

Atiku added that El-Rufai, who is also a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), remains steadfast in his commitment to the vision of fostering a better Nigeria.