Popular political activist and co-convener of the #BringBackOurGirls movement, Aisha Yesufu, has dismissed reports suggesting that former Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, was behind the arrest of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, during a 2013 visit to Anambra.
Speaking during an appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Monday, Yesufu clarified that El-Rufai was detained by the Department of State Services (DSS) and that the action was not linked to any directive from Obi, who was Governor at the time.
Naijaonpoint reports that her comments were in response to recent claims by the Edo State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Paul Ohonbamu, who cited the El-Rufai incident while backing Governor Monday Okpebholo’s warning to Obi to “stay away” from the state.
“Mr Peter Obi never arrested the former Governor of Kaduna State. He was arrested in Anambra State, but he was arrested by the DSS. The order from above never had anything to do with Mr Peter Obi,” Yesufu stated.
‘Edo Is Not Okpebholo’s Family Estate’
Yesufu, in a swift response, said such a directive was unconstitutional and an affront to democratic rights.
“The governor said what he said very clearly, and that is a threat to life,” she said.
“Beyond that, the Edo State Government issued a statement saying Obi needs to notify them before entering the state and get a security clearance. I don’t know what gives Governor Okpebholo the audacity to think he can give any Nigerian clearance to enter Edo State. Edo is not his family estate.”
She stressed that no Nigerian, including Obi, requires gubernatorial clearance to visit any state in the country.
The controversy stems from an incident in November 2013, during the Anambra governorship election. El-Rufai, who was then a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), was in the state to observe the election but was detained by DSS officials at his hotel in Awka, the state capital.
At the time, the DSS explained its actions were based on prevailing “security concerns” in the area. El-Rufai, however, claimed he was unfairly targeted.
Some political figures have since used the incident to attack Obi, suggesting he had a hand in the arrest, a claim that Yesufu strongly debunked.
“That statement is not factual,” Yesufu reiterated on Monday.
Naijaonpoint reports that Yesufu’s remarks come amid rising political tension following Peter Obi’s recent visit to Benin City, which drew criticism from Governor Okpebholo and his allies.
The activist described the governor’s conduct as undemocratic and warned that such attitudes threaten the rights of citizens to free movement and political association.
“Yes, Okpebholo might currently be governing the state, but he doesn’t have the right to restrict the movement of any Nigerian,” she said.