I DIDN’T BETRAY EL-RUFAI; HE USED MY POLITICAL STRUCTURE TO WIN ELECTIONS - BASHIR SA’IDU . (PHOTO).

 I Didn’t Betray El-Rufai; He Used My Political Structure To Win Elections - Bashir Sa’idu 

Former Chief of Staff to Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Hon. Bashir Saidu, has denied allegations that he betrayed the former governor, who is currently in detention.

Saidu, who was among El-Rufai’s former allies who publicly announced their separation from him, made the clarification during an interview with RFI Hausa.

Daily Trust had earlier reported that El-Rufai accused some people he supported during difficult times of abandoning him, a statement that generated further political controversy.

However, in the latest interview, Saidu maintained that he and El-Rufai jointly built the political structure that paved the way for the former governor’s rise to power.

“We were the first to suffer before him. I was arrested and taken to prison on New Year’s Eve, where I spent 50 days. I was moved from one court to another until the judge who agreed to hear the case revoked my bail. I was taken back to prison, where I spent another 54 days. Is there any night I have not experienced?” he said.

Saidu added that he also spent the last Eid al-Adha celebration in prison, insisting that it was unfair to claim that he and others had abandoned El-Rufai.

“It is an outright lie to say we abandoned him. We only left when the betrayal became apparent. We realised that the person we submitted to did not value us, so we moved to where we are appreciated,” he stated.

He further explained that those criticising him were unfamiliar with the depth of his relationship with the former governor, which he said had grown beyond politics to a family-level bond.

Saidu also claimed that he was among those who persuaded El-Rufai to venture into politics.

“We begged him to join politics. We have been involved in politics since the days of Abiola under the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Professor Ango Abdullahi, Madakin Zazzau and San Turaki Babba are still alive. Our first chairman, Ibrahim Yaro Tela, and Ibrahim Zailani have passed away,” he said.

The former Chief of Staff also argued that the political structure commonly associated with El-Rufai was being overstated, adding that the former governor still had obligations to them.

Addressing the alleged betrayal, Saidu said his group had been working to secure the emergence of Malam Jaafaru as their preferred candidate in Kaduna, without knowing that El-Rufai had already endorsed another candidate.