The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating the continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 general election.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the allegation during an interview on Channels Television’s Politics Today, claiming the opposition believes the federal government has no intention of releasing El-Rufai until after the elections.
He alleged that the ruling party fears El-Rufai’s political influence if released.
“What I can tell you is that 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’s what we believe.
“That is the plan because they know that with Malam Nasir El-Rufai freed, the opposition is stronger, and they know that if they release him, he is going to remind them of certain things that they would rather forget.
“So that is why they want to hold him. And I’m telling you that we in the opposition believe they are doing everything to make sure that Malam Nasir El-Rufai remains in custody until after the elections.”
Expressing concern over El-Rufai’s health, Abdullahi said the former governor requires urgent medical attention, citing reports from his family that doctors at the National Hospital recommended he remain under close medical observation due to his deteriorating health.
He warned that the opposition would hold President Bola Tinubu personally responsible if anything happened to El-Rufai while in detention.
“If anything happens to Malam Nasir El-Rufai in detention, President Bola Tinubu will be held personally responsible because the buck stops at his table. We say that there is a political prisoner in Nigeria today, and his name is Malam Nasir El-Rufai,” he stated.
Abdullahi stressed that the ADC was not opposed to the prosecution of anyone with a legitimate case to answer but questioned the prolonged detention of the former governor despite the charges against him being bailable.
“I say let me establish the principle that ADC is not opposed to anybody who has a legitimate case to answer from being prosecuted. But when you are holding someone in custody for bailable offences, and you proceed to continue to arraign that person and continue to set conditions for bail that are almost impossible for this person to meet, it creates room for us to believe that you deliberately intend to hold this person in perpetuity and you are just looking for legal loopholes to hold this person,” he said.
Abdullahi further alleged that the cases against members of the opposition were politically motivated and aimed at denying Nigerians credible alternatives in the 2027 elections.
He also accused the APC administration of focusing more on retaining power than addressing the country’s pressing challenges, describing the government’s Renewed Hope Agenda as “just a slogan that does not mean anything.”
According to him, the coalition that produced the ADC as a platform for opposition leaders was driven by a desire to introduce a new style of politics in Nigeria.
LEADERSHIP reports that El-Rufai is currently facing charges of alleged financial misconduct during his tenure as Kaduna State governor in a case instituted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) at the Federal High Court.
He is also standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations of wiretapping in a separate case filed by the Department of State Services (DSS).
