Speaking on Political Brief on Arise News on Monday, February 16, 2026, Arise Director of News and Political Editor, Sumner Sambo, argued that the narrative being advanced through El-Rufai’s public comments carries implications beyond personal rivalry, striking at the heart of Nigeria’s national security structure.
“But then, as an NSA, for his phone to be bugged, the idea by Nasir is to push the narrative that Ribadu is ineffective,” Sambo said during the programme.
According to him, the suggestion that the communication lines of the National Security Adviser could be compromised inevitably raises questions about operational competence and internal safeguards within the country’s security architecture. In Sambo’s view, the framing of the allegation appears calculated to create doubt about Ribadu’s effectiveness in managing sensitive national intelligence.
He noted that the Office of the National Security Adviser occupies a central coordinating role in Nigeria’s security ecosystem, overseeing intelligence sharing and strategic response mechanisms. Any public perception that the officeholder’s communications were breached, Sambo warned, risks undermining public confidence in the system as a whole.
Sambo emphasized that such allegations, whether substantiated or not, introduce a potentially destabilizing narrative into the political space. By implying that the NSA’s phone was tapped, the discourse shifts from policy disagreements to questions about security competence at the highest level of government.
He further observed that while political actors are entitled to raise concerns, issues involving national intelligence demand a higher threshold of responsibility. Public commentary suggesting vulnerabilities in the security chain, he said, could have unintended consequences, including emboldening hostile actors or deepening internal political tensions.
The analyst maintained that the controversy should not be treated merely as a feud between former allies but as a matter with broader institutional implications. He stressed that safeguarding the credibility of national security institutions must take precedence over partisan calculations.Please Share 🙏…
