The visit of former Governor of Kaduna State Nasiru el-Rufai to the National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party, Shehu Gabam, at the party’s secretariat was a mere return visit without any political undertone.
El-Rufai’s spokesperson Muyiwa Adekeye made the clarification against the backdrop of his principal’s visit to the SDP.
In his X handle, Adekeye said the SDP chairman had the previous day paid visit to el-Rufai’ at the former governor’s house on Tuesday, March 19, 2024 at
7:09 PM for the Ramadan iftar breaking of fasting.
Adekeye revealed that his boss ‘ hosted some friends to Iftar on Tuesday, 19 March 2024 with the National Security Adviser (NSA) Nuhu Ribadu, a senior APC figure Alh. Kashim Imam and SDP National Chairman Shehu Musa Gabam, among others in attendance.
Gabam was, however, not accused of considering crossing over to the APC on account of that, the statement said
According to Adekeye, “People have personal histories and relationships that predate political affiliations. It cannot be a hallmark of civilisation to have friends from within only your political party. When people visit each other or mingle across party lines, it is because human relationships exist, distinct from the political or the partisan.
“El-Rufai’ is a senior member of the APC, one of the signatories to its merger documents, and a significant contributor to the party’s demonstrated viability. These contributions do not require that he treats friends as anathema on account of politics or maintains an antiseptic distance from them.”
He said the former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister is open-minded and forthright, adding that ‘If he had any political decisions to make, it would not be in character to let them be subject to speculation.
“Unfounded speculations about el-Rufai’
have become an industry that has delivered tons of lies and clickbaits in the last 18 years. This is unlikely to abate anytime soon, given the persistent obsession of its purveyors who relish in negativity and their tireless indulgence in conflating assumption with fact.
“A recent instance was when he visited former presidents late in 2023 to explain his Nigerian governance study book project covering each of their tenures, the speculators said it was about politics! That is why it is sometimes necessary to clarify matters lest the unwary be taken in.”
