..Says Former Kaduna Governor Is Being Held To Weaken Opposition
The African Democratic Congress has accused the Federal Government of deliberately keeping former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in detention to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the allegation on Thursday while featuring on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme.
Abdullahi claimed that although the ADC was not opposed to the prosecution of any individual with a case to answer, the continued detention of El-Rufai despite facing bailable offences suggested a political motive.
He alleged that stringent bail conditions imposed on the former governor were designed to ensure he remained in custody until after the 2027 elections.
“We are not opposed to anybody who has a legitimate case to answer from being prosecuted,” Abdullahi said.
“But when someone is being held in custody for bailable offences and bail conditions are repeatedly set in a way that is almost impossible to meet, it creates the impression that there is a deliberate plan to keep that person in detention.”
According to him, the opposition believes the ruling All Progressives Congress-led administration considers El-Rufai’s release a political threat.
“The thinking within the ADC is that the APC government has concluded that they will not release Malam Nasir El-Rufai until after the elections. That is what we believe.
“They know that if he is free, the opposition will be stronger. That is why they want to keep him in custody,” he added.
Abdullahi also expressed concern over the former governor’s health, alleging that information from his family indicated he had recently been taken to the National Hospital, Abuja, where doctors reportedly advised that he should remain under close medical observation.
He warned that the opposition would hold President Bola Tinubu’s administration responsible should anything happen to El-Rufai while in custody.
“There is a political prisoner in Nigeria today, and his name is Malam Nasir El-Rufai,” Abdullahi said.
El-Rufai has remained in custody since February while facing multiple criminal cases.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission is prosecuting him before both the Kaduna State High Court and the Federal High Court in Kaduna on separate criminal charges.
His applications for bail before the Kaduna State High Court have been dismissed on several occasions.
The Department of State Services is also prosecuting the former governor before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations of wiretapping.
Neither the Federal Government, the ICPC nor the DSS had reacted to the ADC’s allegations as of the time of filing this report.
FOLLOW US