Tinubu, APC Are Scared of El-Rufai, Says ADC Chieftain Barde

An ADC chieftain and retired broadcaster, Mohammed Barde, has alleged that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are afraid of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, because of his political influence.

Speaking during an interview with Trust TV on Friday, Barde claimed that the legal challenges facing El-Rufai are politically motivated rather than driven by the pursuit of justice.

According to him, the former Kaduna governor has become a major political concern for the Presidency and the APC.

“The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Bola Tinubu, is scared of Nasir, very, very scared of him. People in government are scared of Nasir. He has become an enigma to the APC and the Presidency. They don’t want him to be free, and that’s why they are keeping him there,” Barde said.

Barde argued that several former governors accused of more serious offences remain free, while El-Rufai is being prosecuted, a situation he described as evidence of political persecution.

When asked why other leading opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, have not faced similar legal action, Barde maintained that El-Rufai’s case is different because of his political weight and influence.

“I believe Nasir is in this situation because the President and all the people in the APC are scared of him,” he added.

The retired broadcaster further claimed that El-Rufai played a key role in the political rise of President Tinubu and several other prominent national figures, arguing that his contributions to their emergence have not been adequately acknowledged.

Neither the Presidency nor the APC has responded publicly to Barde’s allegations.