Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of being behind an effort by US Congressman Riley Moore to blacklist former Kano State governor Rabiu Kwankwaso for alleged religious freedom breaches.
He speculated that the move was related to Kwankwaso’s refusal to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress and that rumors of the former governor’s impending defection to the African Democratic Congress may have spurred the action.
El-Rufai said on Arise TV’s Prime Time program on Friday, describing Kwankwaso’s inclusion in Moore’s bill to blacklist Nigerians accused of inciting attacks on Christians as unfair and politically motivated.
Moore, representing West Virginia, announced on Tuesday via X the launch of the Nigeria Religious Freedom and Accountability Act of 2026, which is co-sponsored by Chris Smith, representing New Jersey.
The bill seeks targeted sanctions, such as visa bans and asset freezes, against persons and groups accused of violating religious freedom in Nigeria.
The bill expressly mentions Kwankwaso, as well as Fulani-ethnic nomad militias and organizations like the Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria and Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.
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The bill reads in part, “The United States should deliver humanitarian assistance, co-funded by the Government of Nigeria, through trusted faith-based and nongovernmental organizations in Nigeria’s middle belt states; the Department of State and the Department of the Treasury should impose targeted sanctions, including visa bans and asset freezes under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act, on individuals or entities responsible for religious freedom violations, including (A) Fulani-ethnic nomad militias in Nigeria, (B) Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, former Kano State Governor, (C) Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, and (D) Miyetti Allah Kautal Hore.”
El-Rufai questioned the rationale of focusing on Kwankwaso when other northern governors who adopted Sharia rules were not addressed.
“I think it is most unfair to tag Kwankwaso, and I’m trying to figure out whether it is the $9 million lobbying money that led to his listing because Kwankwaso has refused to move to APC. The evil that this government is capable of is beyond our imagination—they may be behind it (blacklisting of Kwankwaso) because he has refused to move to the APC, and there are rumors that he will move to the ADC.
“They may be behind it. In fact, I cannot think of anyone else, because 12 northern states implemented Sharia. The first state to do so was Zamfara. I thought Zamfara should be listed there if anyone is to be blamed for this Sharia fiasco. Kwankwaso followed suit like many other northern governors, and Kano was not very strict in implementing Sharia.
“Kwankwaso is not one of the governors you would call a fundamentalist. Those who cut off the hands of Danlandi Gengebe or others are working the streets freely. They are in an APC. Nobody is mentioning their states or mentioning Yerima Bakura or Abdulaziz Yari, governors of Zamfara State, who protected and promoted Sharia. But it is Kwankwaso who is being targeted. It makes me want to ask: where is this coming from?
“I think we should be very discerning as Nigerians and not get carried away,” El-Rufai said.
The former Minister of the FCT urged Nigerians not to be swayed by what he described as foreign political posturing. He dismissed claims that the action reflected genuine concern over Nigerian security, describing it as a move by US politicians to appeal to their domestic Christian evangelical base.
“As Nigerians, we should not get carried away and be pawns in what is essentially domestic political posturing.
This whole ‘Christian genocide’ narrative and the latest bill are just the Republicans playing to their base—the Christian evangelical base in the US. It has nothing to do with Nigeria.
“It is not just about Kwankwaso; it is something that every Nigerian should be conscious of. All this posturing should be seen for what it is. It has nothing to do with concern; it is domestic politics in the US,” he added.
He emphasized domestic security problems and raised concern about the Nigerian government’s inability to safeguard its population, saying:
“It is heartbreaking that as a government, as a country, we are unable to protect all our citizens, whether they are Christians or Muslims. Everyone is at risk, and that is what we should worry about.”
El-Rufai also criticized the country’s security architecture, claiming it failed due to ineptitude or a lack of adequate action.
“It is clear that the country is not secure. The security architecture has failed; the personnel are incompetent or are not doing the job, and we need to ask some very difficult questions so that it is recalibrated, and every Nigerian will feel safe,” he added.
