Posted by Samuel on Thu 26th Mar, 2026 - tori.ng
Dalung made the remark while suggesting that the Nigerian government fears the former Kaduna State governor, which, according to him, led to his arrest and detention.
Former Minister of Youth and Sports, Solomon Dalung, has stated that Nasir El-Rufai, a key figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), made a “grave mistake” by surrendering himself to security agencies.
Dalung made the remark while suggesting that the Nigerian government fears the former Kaduna State governor, which, according to him, led to his arrest and detention.
Speaking in an interview with Trust TV, Dalung claimed that the authorities had first tried to arrest El-Rufai at the airport but failed to do so.
He said: “The government is really afraid of El-Rufai, which is why they believed he might take some action, so they decided to arrest him.”
The former minister said they understood that trying to catch El-Rufai could cause an uprising.
“El-Rufai chose to minimize his role and give himself up, which was the biggest mistake he made as a fellow member.
“Comrades don’t surrender. If you give up during a fight, you will end up feeling ashamed. It’s an established principle in struggle. When they strive to achieve something, they become very careful,” he said.