El-Rufai's Allies Reject Betrayal Allegations, Defend Their Loyalty

There is a deliberate and coordinated attempt by certain political opportunists to rewrite history and weaponize the name of Mallam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai against the very men who sacrificed most for him. 

Their target: Baba Bashir Saidu and His Excellency Hon. Ja'afaru Sani Ibrahim. 

Their accusation: "Betrayal."

But betrayal of what? Betrayal of who? 

Let us dismantle this lie with facts, with logic, and with evidence.

First, the fundamental question. 

Is Mallam Nasir El-Rufai contesting for the President of Nigeria? No. 

Is Mallam Nasir El-Rufai contesting for the Governorship of Kaduna State? No. 

Has Mallam, at any point, called Baba Bashir Saidu or Ja'afaru Sani and said: "Go and support so-so candidate. This is my candidate"? No. He has not. 

So on what moral or political ground does anyone claim that these men have "betrayed" him? 

To betray someone, there must first be a mandate. There must first be a directive. There must first be a candidate. 

None exists. Therefore, the accusation is not only false, it is fraudulent.

Let us now speak about the men they dare to malign, and about the man they claim to love.

Mallam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai. A leader of uncommon intellect, courage, and conviction. 

A man who built Kaduna with vision and with pain. 

A man whose name carries weight because of service, not slogans.

Baba Bashir Saidu. Former Chief of Staff. Former Commissioner of Finance. 

The political lion of grassroots mobilization. 

A man of steel. Bold in decision, unshakable in loyalty. 

For 53 years, he and Mallam have shared the same classroom, the same seat, the same dreams. 

That is not a political alliance. That is a covenant.

His Excellency Hon. Ja'afaru Sani Ibrahim. Former Commissioner of Education. 

Former Commissioner of Local Government. 

Royal by birth, statesman by conduct. 

Humble in speech, profound in wisdom, impeccable in carriage. 

He did not come into politics empty. He came with pedigree, with capacity, and with honor. 

For 8 years, he served Kaduna diligently under Mallam, and he delivered.

Did Mallam "make" them? 

No. 

Mallam recognized capacity and entrusted responsibility. 

That is what great leaders do. 

And they justified that trust with results.

Now to the ultimate test of loyalty: the crisis.

Who was arrested in an attempt to implicate Mallam? 

Baba Bashir Saidu and Ja'afaru Sani. 

Who was pressured to speak against Mallam and refused? They did. 

Who stood with Mallam at the airport? They did. 

Who has been in court with Mallam? They did.

And let no one forget: Mallam himself said it on National Television. 

"My closest allies were arrested to implicate me, but they refused. They stood by me."

That is prison-tested loyalty. That is integrity under fire. 

That is the definition of love.

Now, let us talk about the accusers.

We all have their voice notes. They are everywhere on the internet. 

Their own words condemn them.

One said: "God forbid. Somebody that stole my mandate twice. How can I be in the same space with the person?" 

Another said: "I am only in ADC because they promised me ticket from the back door. 

Malam has followers in Zone 2 and Zone 1, that is why I am following him."

Did you hear that Boss? BACK DOOR TICKET. 

They admitted it themselves. They are not there for ideology. They are not there for Malam. 

They are there for personal ambition.

And the height of their hypocrisy: 

While Mallam was in the hands of government, they were saying "we don’t know when we saw him last." 

They were saying "people who stole my mandate are the ones holding him." 

Yet today, the moment they need votes, they are plastering his face on posters and saying "Malam sent me."

That is not politics. That is sacrilege. 

That is not loyalty. That is exploitation.

And here is the most painful truth. 

If Mallam had regained his freedom before the ADC primary elections, 

many of these aspirants would not even be on the ballot. 

Because they used his absence to lie, to fabricate, and to deceive. 

Because they aligned with people who share the same philosophy of "use and dump."

How then do you expect to win Kaduna? 

Elections are won by addition, not subtraction. 

By the number of people you bring in, minus the number of people you push away. 

Since the primaries, how many have we lost? 

How many have joined us? 

The mathematics is clear. And the arrogance of refusing to admit fault will cost us more.

But instead of uniting, instead of coming to admit "we were wrong, let us come together and win," 

they chose to attack the two men who never left Mallam’s side.

This must stop.

Baba Bashir and Ja'afaru Sani did not betray Mallam. 

They protected his name. 

They protected his integrity. 

They respected his position that he has "no preferred candidate."

Real loyalty is costly. It costs you freedom. It costs you reputation. 

They paid that price.

Real betrayal is using a man’s name without his consent to chase a backdoor ticket. 

That is what the accusers did.

Kaduna is watching. Nigeria is watching. History is watching. 

And truth, no matter how long it takes, will always prevail.

By: Iliyasu Ephraim 

      Jaban kogo 

     Sarkin yakin 

   Bashir/ Ja'afaru