El-Rufai's former Chief of Staff denies betraying him as he claims former Kaduna Governor used his structure to win elections

Bashir Saidu, a former Chief of Staff to ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has denied betraying his former principal following their political split. Speaking in an interview with RFI Hausa, Saidu said their relationship extended beyond politics to family ties, but alleged that he and other former allies left because they felt undervalued.

His comments followed El-Rufai’s reported complaint that some people he had supported during difficult periods had abandoned him. The former governor is currently in detention. Saidu maintained that he and El-Rufai jointly built the political structure that helped the former governor attain office.

He also cited his own periods in custody, saying he had spent 50 days in prison on one occasion and another 54 days after his bail was revoked. “I also spent the last Eid-Adha in prison. It is an outright lie to say we abandoned him,” he said. Saidu alleged that the breakdown in their relationship arose after they concluded that their loyalty was not being reciprocated.

“We learnt the person we submitted to did not value us. We moved where we are valued,” he said. 

He dismissed criticism from people he said did not understand the depth of his relationship with El-Rufai. “Those making the noise are not familiar with my relationship with Mallam. It has graduated to family level,” he added.

Saidu further claimed that he was among those who persuaded El-Rufai to enter politics, noting that his own political involvement dated back to the Social Democratic Party during the era of Moshood Abiola. He named several political figures whom he said were familiar with that history, including Professor Ango Abdullahi, Madakin Zazzau and San Turaki Babba.

The former chief of staff also disputed claims about the strength of El-Rufai’s political structure, arguing that his influence was overstated and that the former governor remained indebted to his former allies. On the disagreement over political succession, Saidu said his group had been working to secure the candidacy of Malam Jaafaru without knowing that El-Rufai had already chosen another candidate.