The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the federal government of deliberately keeping former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in detention until after the 2027 general election to weaken the opposition.
Speaking on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, ADC spokesperson Bolaji Abdullahi said the continued detention of el-Rufai by the APC-led administration was politically motivated.
Abdullahi stressed that the party was not against the prosecution of anyone facing legitimate criminal charges but questioned the prolonged detention of the former governor despite the offences being bailable.
“When you are holding someone in custody for bailable offences, and you continue to arraign that person while setting bail conditions that are almost impossible to meet, it creates room for us to believe that you deliberately intend to hold this person in perpetuity,” he said.
He claimed the opposition believes the government has resolved not to release el-Rufai until after the 2027 elections.
“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 with Malam Nasir el-Rufai freed, the opposition is stronger. That is why they want to hold him in perpetuity,” Abdullahi added.
The ADC spokesperson also expressed concern over El-Rufai’s health, revealing that the family informed the party that he recently visited the National Hospital, where doctors reportedly advised close medical monitoring due to his deteriorating condition.
Abdullahi warned that the opposition would hold President Bola Ahmed Tinubu responsible if anything happened to the former governor, describing el-Rufai as “a political prisoner.”
El-Rufai has remained in custody since February while facing separate criminal prosecutions by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) before the Kaduna State High Court and the Federal High Court in Kaduna.
His bail applications before the Kaduna High Court have been dismissed on multiple occasions. He is also facing prosecution by the Department of State Services (DSS) before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations of wiretapping.
The comments by the ADC reflect the opposition party’s position and allegations. The federal government and prosecuting agencies have continued to pursue the cases through the courts.
