A former official of Nigeria’s main opposition party has attributed the recent public clash between former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu to a political falling-out stemming from 2007. Akin Osuntokun, who served as Director-General of the Labour Party’s presidential campaign council, said the tension originates from a public opinion survey conducted that year which reportedly favoured Ribadu, a development El-Rufai did not accept.
Speaking on Arise Television’s ‘Prime Time’ programme, Osuntokun explained that the survey was commissioned by then-Lagos Governor Bola Tinubu, who was positioning himself as a “kingmaker” ahead of the 2007 elections. Tinubu, having just completed his tenure as governor, sought to support a candidate from the northern region. According to Osuntokun, Tinubu’s outreach and adoption of Ribadu as a favoured candidate reportedly caused a rift between Ribadu and El-Rufai, a fracture that has persisted.
This analysis follows a recent and heated public dispute between the two powerful figures. Last week, El-Rufai accused the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA), led by Ribadu, of procuring thallium sulphate, a highly toxic chemical. He demanded urgent clarification on the alleged transaction. Ribadu swiftly denied the accusation, publicly daring El-Rufai to provide evidence to the Department of State Services (DSS) for investigation.
The exchange has dominated Nigerian political discourse, raising questions about the use of security apparatus in political rivalries. Osuntokun’s comments suggest the current confrontation is the latest manifestation of a long-standing personal and political antagonism rooted in the dynamics of the 2007 election cycle. At that time, Ribadu was Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), a role that earned him national prominence in anti-corruption efforts.
The significance of the current allegations is substantial. Thallium sulphate is a regulated substance, and claims of its improper procurement by a national security office, if substantiated, would imply serious breaches of protocol and potential security risks. Conversely, the accusation itself, made without presenting public evidence, has been characterised by observers as a potentially reckless undermining of a key security institution.
The matter now places the onus on El-Rufai to formally present any evidence he possesses to state security agencies for verification. The DSS, Nigeria’s premier intelligence service, will be expected to handle any formal submission with appropriate discretion and rigour. The public airing of such grave allegations without a parallel official investigation underscores the volatile intersection of Nigeria’s political sphere with its national security narrative. The resolution of this specific claim will be closely watched as an indicator of institutional integrity and the management of political disputes within the country’s security sector.
