TheCable replies el-Rufai: We never said you attended any meeting

On Wednesday, Nasir el-Rufai, governor of Kaduna state, issued a statement in reaction to TheCable’s report on the consultations made by President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the extension of the validity of the old naira notes.

In his statement, el-Rufai wrote: “A few hours after the Supreme Court adjourned the ‘currency redesign’ case today, TheCable, a respected publication, published what it described as an exclusive story regarding the intentions of the Federal Government on the matter.

“Malam Nasir El-Rufai would like to clarify that TheCable has been misled by its sources on this issue. There has been no meeting this week between the FG and either the Nigerian Governors’ Forum (NGF) or the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), not to talk of one lasting till the wee hours of today, Wednesday, 15 February 2023.”

However, TheCable never reported that the Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) met.

Also, nowhere in the report did TheCable state that a meeting was attended by el-Rufai — a vocal champion of the clamour to reverse the adverse effects of the naira scarcity on Nigerians.

What TheCable reported was the consultation with “the leadership” of the NGF and the PGF by federal government officials on behalf of Buhari, which did not end until 4am on Wednesday.

There were several details we had to report responsibly because of our editorial standards.

But at the meeting, senior presidency officials made calls to several governors to brief them on the concession being offered by the president for an out-of-court settlement. El-Rufai confirmed he was reached on phone, which was the part we reported concerning him.

TheCable reported that while others were “on the same page with the president”, el-Rufai insisted on total cancellation of the naira redesign policy — which he himself confirmed in his press statement.

We will continue to hold el-Rufai in high esteem but he misquoted us and it is necessary for us to state the facts as they are and reassure our readers that TheCable remains committed to the high journalistic values for which we are known.