Tension Builds As El-Rufai Plans Showdown At EFCC HQ

Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, is expected to return to Nigeria within the next 48 hours, amid rumours that he had gone into self-imposed exile.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

Sources close to him told Premium Times that he is due back in Abuja soon and has officially informed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) of his plan to appear at its headquarters by 10 a.m. on Monday, February 16.

In a brief interview with the publication, El-Rufai confirmed that he would be returning shortly.

The former governor travelled abroad on November 30, 2025, after attending social events in Lagos a day earlier. While he was away, the EFCC reportedly sent an invitation letter to his residence in December 2025, fuelling speculation that he might be arrested upon his return.

Anti-corruption agencies, including the EFCC and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), are investigating allegations of corruption related to his time in office. El-Rufai has denied any wrongdoing, describing the probes as politically driven.

El-Rufai was instrumental in President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s emergence as the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate ahead of the 2023 elections. He was among the APC governors who pushed for the party’s presidential ticket to be zoned to the South, citing an informal power-sharing arrangement during former President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

After Tinubu assumed office, El-Rufai was nominated for a ministerial position. However, the Senate withheld confirmation of his nomination, reportedly citing a security report. He later declined reconsideration and recommended a former aide as a substitute.

Relations between El-Rufai and President Tinubu have since soured. The former governor left the APC last year for the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and has become one of the President’s vocal critics.

In March 2024, his successor, Governor Uba Sani, launched an investigation into his administration. El-Rufai subsequently challenged the findings of that probe at the Federal High Court.