Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai says some of his close allies have abandoned him during his detention over allegations linked to wiretapping and financial misconduct.

El-Rufai, who has spent 218 days in detention, said he had supported people and causes over the years without expecting anything in return, but added that his experience in detention had changed his perception of some relationships.

“Over the years, I have stood by people and for causes I believed in, sometimes in difficult circumstances and at considerable personal cost,” El-Rufai said in a statement posted on social media.

“I did so not in expectation of praise, gratitude or reciprocity, but because I believed it was right. Those were choices I made freely, and I remain answerable for them.”

The former governor said he would not seek revenge against anyone he believes had wronged or abandoned him.

“As for any injustice, ingratitude or injury done to me, I seek neither revenge nor retribution. Ultimate accountability belongs to Almighty Allah, and I leave that judgment to Him, in this world and in the Hereafter,” he said.

El-Rufai said his experience in detention had provided an opportunity to reassess some of his relationships.

“Adversity has a way of illuminating relationships,” he said. “What I learn in difficult times like the past few months may lead me, quietly and without regret, to reconsider the nature of certain relationships and what those that look up to me expect of them.”

He added that his comments were “neither reproach nor condemnation,” but a reflection of how difficult circumstances had changed his understanding of people and relationships.

El-Rufai has been in detention since February 18 following an investigation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) into allegations of financial misconduct involving N432 billion.

The allegations followed a petition by the Kaduna State House of Assembly. The ICPC has said El-Rufai is being held pursuant to a court remand order.

He was temporarily released in March to attend the burial of his mother.

The former governor has also acknowledged in an interview that he tapped the telephone of National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.

The wiretapping allegation forms part of the issues surrounding his current legal situation.