Tobi Adebayo
Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has accused former President Goodluck Jonathan of persecuting him because he thought he was a threat to his second term ambition.

El-Rufai said this in an interview with The Point and said he was exiled because another late President, Umaru Yar’adua also thought he was a threat.

He stated further that Jonathan was convinced by his “circle” to take him out of the Presidential race if he wanted to go for a second term in office.

The governor said: “Jonathan was convinced by his own circle too that I was a threat and that if he was going for a second term of office, he had to take me out of the race. And so, Jonathan continued the persecution that Yar’adua started.

“I have been associated with running for President, as I said, since 2005, 2006, about 15 years. I’ve suffered for this, I’ve even been exiled for it and Jonathan tried to put me in prison for it.

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“My name was mentioned with regard to presidential aspiration has been on since 2006, since I was running the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja. People were speculating that the then President Olusegun Obasanjo was preparing to hand over to me.

“It was part of the reasons I was exiled. Late President Yar’adua was told, according to those around him, that Obasanjo shortlisted two names to succeed him – Yar’Adua’s name and mine. It was totally false.

“But Yar’adua believed that and he thought that I was a threat, and all the hullabaloo, lies and persecution that got me exiled for 23 months were as a result of that.”