El-Rufai blew himself by surrendering to authorities – Dalung

Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai reportedly made his “greatest mistake” by surrendering himself to security agencies ahead of his trial, according to former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung.

Dalung spoke during an interview with Trust TV published on YouTube on Tuesday, claiming the government initially tried to arrest El-Rufai at the airport but failed.

“The government is so scared of El-Rufai, that was why they thought he was going to act and they need to take him into custody. They attempted at the airport and it failed, and then they realized that trying to arrest him may instigate insurrection,” Dalung said.

The former minister argued that El-Rufai’s voluntary submission was a misstep. “El-Rufai himself decided to downplay and surrender himself, and that’s the greatest mistake he made as a comrade,” he added.

Dalung advised that during political struggles, surrendering oneself can lead to humiliation. “Comrades don’t surrender. During a struggle, if you surrender yourself, you’re going to be humiliated. It’s an established principle in struggle. When they suffer to get you, they become very careful,” he said.

However, Dalung also suggested that El-Rufai’s decision may have strategically worked against the authorities. “What he did was he behaved maturely and responsibly, and they played into his trap because surrendering himself earlier denied them the opportunity to be able to frame up charges and charge him,” he explained.

He added, “So, they got him into custody but they didn’t have charges and they have no offences on the ground. So, they started shopping for offences. El-Rufai’s trial will not result into anything because its foundation is built on illegality and not law.”

El-Rufai was re-arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on February 18, shortly after being released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), which had detained him for two days over corruption allegations.