Leaked audio allegedly criticising El-Rufai stirs controversy in Kaduna ADC
A leaked audio allegedly featuring ADC governorship candidate Isa Ashiru criticising Nasir El-Rufai has sparked controversy, with loyalists dismissing it as fabricated.
A leaked audio recording allegedly featuring the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) in Kaduna State, Alhaji Isa Ashiru, has triggered controversy within the party. Loyalists have dismissed the recording as fabricated, while supporters of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai have reaffirmed their allegiance to him.
Despite the controversy, Aisha El-Rufai, wife of Nasir El-Rufai, has declared her support for the ADC candidate. In a post on her verified Facebook page, she said “No retreat, no surrender. Kicking and struggling do not prevent death. Audio, letters, videos whatever they are even if Isa Ashiru will deal with not only Malam El-Rufai but the whole family. I said it is only one term; there will be no reverse, God willing.”
The audio, which has been widely circulated on social media, is said to contain a phone conversation between Ashiru and an elder from Southern Kaduna. In the recording, the speaker allegedly criticises El-Rufai, a national leader of the ADC. However, the authenticity of the recording has not been independently verified.
In the recording, the speaker allegedly claimed that joining the ADC was primarily a political strategy aimed at securing the party’s governorship ticket. “We only went to the ADC to obtain the party ticket so that we could move forward. The PDP is already divided into two factions. Wike is leading one faction, while Tanimu Turaki is leading the other, and both sides are in court,” the voice in the recording said.
Reacting to the development, a prominent ADC figure in Kaduna North and ally of Ashiru dismissed the recording as fake. “We don’t believe it was his voice. In this era of Artificial Intelligence, anything is possible. They only doctored the audio to suit their attempt to tarnish Ashiru’s image before the public,” the source said.
Another source told Daily Trust that loyalists of the former governor met on Sunday to deliberate on the implications of the leaked recording and to reassure party members of their continued support for El-Rufai. “As loyalists of El-Rufai within the party, we met today to discuss the issue and to make it clear that our loyalty remains with him. We will do everything within our powers to protect his image in Kaduna State,” the source said.
This echoes the pattern seen in Nigerian politics, where leaked audio and video recordings have become a common weapon in political warfare. The 2018 leaked audio of President Buhari allegedly discussing appointments was one such example. The mechanism is the same: anonymous sources, unverified recordings, political denials.
The winners: political opponents who benefit from the controversy. The losers: the ADC, which faces internal division, and the credibility of political discourse in Kaduna State.
Bottom Line: A leaked audio. A political controversy. Denials from both sides. In Nigerian politics, the truth is often the first casualty.