Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar paid a late-night solidarity visit to ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai at his Abuja residence on Thursday, February 12, 2026, hours after security operatives allegedly attempted to arrest El-Rufai at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport upon his return from Cairo.
Atiku described the incident as a “national embarrassment” and slammed the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) as “partisan.” In a post on X (formerly Twitter) on Friday morning, he wrote: “Last night, I paid a solidarity visit to the former Governor of Kaduna State and stalwart of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, following the failed attempt by the partisan ICPC to arrest him at the airport upon his arrival in the country.”
The visit comes amid growing opposition unity under the African Democratic Congress (ADC) platform, where Atiku, El-Rufai, Peter Obi, Rotimi Amaechi and other leaders have formed a coalition explicitly aimed at challenging President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 general election.
As photos of the closed-door meeting circulated online, netizens quickly resurfaced a scathing 2016 article by El-Rufai in which he accused Atiku of being “haunted by his corruption demons.”
On November 15, 2016, then-Governor El-Rufai posted on X (then Twitter) the full text of his statement titled “Atiku haunted by his corruption demons.” The post read:
“Atiku haunted by his corruption demons – by: Nasir El-Rufai – November 15, 2016
This statement is issued in… https://t.co/xAyhDL9DR6”
In the statement, El-Rufai responded to claims Atiku made in an EFCC publication about Transcorp shares, accusing the former vice president of lies and revisionism. He wrote:
“This statement is issued in response to the latest falsehoods to emerge from Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. He has a record of spewing outright lies and innuendo against my person… Not even from a man as practiced as Alhaji Atiku is in the dark arts of damaging other people through a campaign of lies from him and his media machine.”
El-Rufai denied ever offering Atiku shares in Transcorp, stating he had declined shares offered to him and had advised President Olusegun Obasanjo, Atiku and then-Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala against accepting them to avoid conflict of interest.
He further challenged Atiku over a U.S. Senate report on alleged wire transfers:
“Can Alhaji Atiku explain the findings in the report of the United States Senate Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigations which detailed a pattern of wire transfers of more than USD 40m from offshore companies like Siemens into bank accounts controlled by him and one of his wives? … Alhaji Atiku should tell a better tale of why he is avoiding the United States of America.”
The 2016 article also referenced El-Rufai’s book The Accidental Public Servant, in which he detailed alleged irregularities involving Atiku, including the PTDF and other matters.
The resurfacing of the article has triggered a wave of reactions on social media, with many users contrasting El-Rufai’s past description of Atiku as “obsessed with power” and “haunted by corruption demons” against their current political alliance.
One user commented on the original 2016 thread: “That’s how the rejected minister lost the little integrity he had.” Another posted: “Hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm collision.”
Despite the history, both men now appear united in their criticism of the Tinubu administration’s economic policies and in their determination to unseat the president in 2027 through the ADC coalition.
Political observers note that the dramatic shift highlights the fluid nature of Nigerian politics, where former adversaries frequently become allies when facing a common opponent.