I am your friend, Dr. Charles Apoki. It is 11:23 p.m., and I am reaching you from this beautiful hotel in Asaba. I came to give a lecture at the Maryam Babangida Leisure Park, at the studio there, to professors, lecturers, and students of Delta State University. I spoke on “Living Your Legacy” L-I-V-I-N-G your legacy.
I told them that legacy represents the footprints you leave on earth. You intentionally, daily, make decisions and take actions that will eventually summarise your stay here on earth. It is not necessarily the properties you leave behind. We related it to intellectual wealth and the internet today.
Just before I was about to sleep, I saw a video of Nasir El-Rufai having an altercation with security agencies at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
El-Rufai used to be Minister of the Federal Capital Territory and a two-time Governor of Kaduna State. He also accompanied President Bola Tinubu to Chatham House in the United Kingdom during the campaigns for the 2023 presidential elections. In fact, when Tinubu was asked a question there, he deflected it to El-Rufai.
Today, El-Rufai is in the ADC, while Tinubu is in the APC, and they seem to have parted ways. The centre cannot hold. I want to raise some points. You don’t need to agree with me. Just think about them.
Why would security agencies wait for him at the airport when they had already sent a letter to him and fixed a date for him to meet with them? He was reportedly in Cairo, and upon entering Nigeria, his passport was seized. There was a large crowd around him, and there was protest. Now, a simple question: how did that large crowd get into the arrival area of the airport? Who allowed them in?
Secondly, El-Rufai was heard saying that even the President cannot order his arrest. That is a sign of a lawless nation. Any person can be arrested by security agencies if due process is followed. No one should be above the law.
Another question: if El-Rufai were an ordinary citizen, would he and his associates have behaved like that at the airport and gotten away with it?
How many of you remember the issues involving Rochas Okorocha and the EFCC? And the same EFCC with Yahaya Bello? These are questions you should reflect on.
This also shows the temporariness of power. I remember when El-Rufai addressed the Northern Elders Forum prior to the 2023 elections. He made very strong statements. At some point, he said that certain actions could have led to the arrest of Peter Obi. Today, the table seems to have turned.
The simple question is: how market? We must live in a country where arbitrariness and arbitrary use of power are discouraged. The security agencies, the judiciary, the police — we seem to have degenerated to a level where these agencies are sometimes perceived as being used to witch-hunt people.
Another simple question: if El-Rufai had decamped to the APC, would he have been harassed at the airport on arrival from Cairo? In this country, it sometimes appears that when people with pending issues decamp to the ruling party, their sins are forgiven.
Can you see how transient life and power can be? If we truly have a nation where law, order, and human rights are respected, nobody should be harassed unlawfully, and nobody should feel above the law.
Now, let me say this. El-Rufai was quite controversial during his time in Kaduna State. Many statements were attributed to him, some of them very strong and outlandish. At one point, he made remarks about avenging certain killings. I also listened to an interview where he spoke about bringing in people from other African countries and issues surrounding them.
These kinds of statements raise questions. Do they reflect patriotism? Do they reflect national unity? Or do they deepen religious and regional divisions?
We must be careful in this country, particularly among the northern elites and political class. No group should behave as if it is above the law. It does not augur well for Nigeria.
If this pattern continues, 2027 may be very chaotic, very rowdy, and very unpredictable.
Let it not be perceived that if people decamp to the ruling party their sins are forgiven. Let us not gravitate towards authoritarian rule or a one-party state where opposition is stifled, like in some countries I would rather not mention. We are too docile in this country. And I sense that something is cooking that may shock many people.
I remain Dr. Charles Apoki. I am disturbed by what I am seeing. I never knew we would degenerate to this level in Nigeria.
I have a webinar coming up on the 21st of February. Send a message to register. God bless you.
