When Nasir El-Rufai Unwittingly Stirred the Hornet’s Nest

Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai is no Lilliputian in Nigeria’s political system.

What he may lack in physical appearance, he compensates for in political sagacity, audacity, and enduring influence.

In conversations about sharp, strategic actors in contemporary Nigerian politics, his name surfaces almost instinctively. Love him or loathe him, he is rarely ignored when the discussion revolves around Nigerian politics.

From his early prominence as Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises under President Olusegun Obasanjo to his controversial tenure as Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, and later as Governor of Kaduna State, El-Rufai has shown a deliberate instinct for positioning himself at the epicentre of power rather than its fringes. He understands where influence resides — and how to insert himself into the equation.

As FCT Minister, his tenure became one of the most debated in Nigeria’s democratic era. Determined to enforce Abuja’s master plan, he ordered widespread demolitions of properties deemed to have violated urban planning regulations. Entire districts felt the impact.

To supporters, he was restoring order to a capital city drifting into chaos. To critics, the demolitions were harsh, displacing residents with insufficient humanitarian cushioning.

That period cemented his national profile, not merely as an administrator, but as a fearless political actor.

Within the All Progressives Congress (APC), El-Rufai has demonstrated an ability to navigate internal party arithmetic. He forged alliances across regional and ideological divides when it suited broader strategic objectives.

Yet, caution has never been his defining trait. His blunt communication style — sometimes sharp, sometimes provocative — keeps him perpetually in the headlines. Admirers call it courage; critics call it recklessness.

Now, the chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) has once again stirred controversy. In a recent television interview, he claimed to have hacked the telephone of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

The fallout was swift. The federal government has initiated legal action against him, including charges related to cybercrime and other alleged offences. The development has thrust him back into the centre of a legal and political storm.