Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, says the camp of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, is not afraid of the government officials in the Presidential Villa working against the party’s flag-bearer ahead of the 2023 general election.

It would be recalled that Governor El-Rufai while speaking on Channels Television programme, Sunrise Daily, on Wednesday, said some “elements” in the Presidential Villa are working against Tinubu.

The governor had cited the petroleum subsidy issue and the naira redesign policy targeted at the APC presidential standard bearer, saying: “I believe there are elements in the Villa that want us to lose the elections because they didn’t get their way.

“They had their candidate and their candidate didn’t win the primaries; they are still trying to get us to lose the elections and they are hiding behind the president’s desire to do what he thinks is right.

READ ALSO: Presidency to El-Rufai: We’re not aware of elements working against Tinubu

”I will give two examples; this petroleum subsidy, which is costing the country trillions of naira, was something what we all agreed would be removed.”

Reacting, the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, said it has not been brought officially to his notice if there are elements within the State House who are working against the victory of the ruling party.

The minister said President Muhammadu Buhari, being the main occupant of the Villa, had stressed severally that his administration would deliver a credible electoral exercise in February and March.

However, El-Rufai, while responding to a question in a yet-to-be-fully-released interview with BBC Hausa, said: “Respecting people is not fear, I swear we don’t fear anyone in this country, so we are not fearful, we respectful but if you show us you are not an elder, I swear we will fight you.”

The governor’s interview was shared on social media ahead of the release.

The Star