Responding to a question in a yet to be fully released interview with the BBC Hausa, Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State has dared ‘elements in Aso Rock ‘ who he alleged to be opposed to the presidential ambition of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress for the 2023 election.
El-Rufai, said: “Respecting people is not fear. I swear, we don’t fear anyone in this country; we are not fearful. But if you show us you are not an elder, I swear, we will fight you.”
The governor’s latest comment was in an apparent response to the “Villa elements” he referred to in an interview with Channels TV on Wednesday, saying they were working against Tinubu.
During the interview, El-Rufai said persons who backed a different aspirant in the APC presidential primary were now hiding behind President Buhari to pursue their interests.
Aisha Buhari, wife of the president, backed El-Rufai over his claim that some elements in the Presidency are plotting to sabotage Tinubu’s victory.
The first lady, who wields great influence in the Villa, voiced her support for El-Rufai when she shared a clip of the interview containing the governor’s main allegation against “saboteurs who are non-members of the party and are exploiting the president’s goodwill for their selfish ends.”
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, responded swiftly saying, the government was not officially aware of anyone within the Presidential Villa engaging in such action. He emphasized that the government had been fair to all candidates irrespective of party affiliation.
