By Cedric Ogwu

Sir:As a keen observer of the Nigerian political landscape, I have been probing, seeking answers to the political reason why the former FCT Minister and Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai has remained in detention. A major player in opposition strategy, Nasir had always come across as a progressive rebel. His record as minister and commitment to the thorough urbanization of the FCT stood him out as an excellent administrator.

Subsequently he reintroduced himself as a bold and fearless political opposition leader during the Goodluck Jonathan administration. His criticism of President Jonathan’s policies were tactful and brazen, and this sometimes got him into trouble with the organs of the government of the day.

As a member of the newly formed All Progressives Congress, el-Rufai made new friends who stood by him during the alleged persecution he faced, as the Jonathan era was closing out and one person worthy of note was Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the Governor or Rivers State as at then. He himself had just made the switch from the nPDP alongside the likes of Saraki, Nyako and Kwankwaso.

As far back as 2014, looking from outside in, the friendship between these two men grew as the opposition battled its way forward. On one occasion, Gov. Amaechi himself drove el-Rufai to the DSS headquarters to answer a petition after a man hunt for the soon to be Kaduna State Governor had begun.

As time went on and the APC got elected, these men were said to be part of the very few who had unhindered access to President Muhammadu Buhari. It is reported that they influenced some political appointments made by Buhari.

Towards the end of the Buhari administration, it was confirmed that the APC was going to zone its presidential ticket to the South. There were whispers that late President Buhari was going to handpick his successor. One name that was mentioned amongst the aspirants as a likely successor was that of Amaechi.

He was seen as a friend of the north and had even been given a traditional title by the Emir of Daura, the very Emirate President Buhari hailed from.

However, Buhari declined to anoint a successor and asked everyone to make their case to the APC stakeholders who would vote at the party primaries. It was speculated that the relationship between Amaechi and el-Rufai was not as cordial as it once was, but it was taken for granted by observers that Elrufai would still support his friend for the sake of their identical political ideologies and the personal history between them. In fact, when Amaechi visited the Kaduna Governor, he openly pledged his support for the then Presidential aspirant. But as time went on, that wasn’t the case.

el-rufai galvanised the support of the Northern governors for Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He was the fulcrum that held their bloc vote together for Asiwaju at the APC primaries, helping him win by a landslide with Amaechi coming in at a distant second place.

Some political commentators have postulated that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu made the governors several sweet deals they couldn’t refuse. Others say the Northern governors based their support on religious lines, and weren’t ready to see Amaechi who is a Christian become the flag bearer of the party.

If you recall, politicians on the other side of the divide have accused the All Progressives Congress of being a muslim party, with el-Rufai himself being at the center of these accusations. Residents of Southern Kaduna who are predominantly Christian, allege that the then governor was biased in his administration of governance in the state.

They claimed that the projects and development initiatives of his administration were domiciled in northern kaduna, where majority of the residents are muslim.

However, the question remains. If el-Rufai had directed the support of the northern governors to his friend – Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, would he be languishing in alleged political detention today?

I conclude with this popular saying “some questions don’t have answers, they are meant to be lived.”

Cedric Ogwu is an observer of Nigeria’s political economy and can be reached via [email protected]