El-Rufai held to undermine opposition ahead of 2027, ADC alleges

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has alleged that the Federal Government is deliberately keeping former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in detention to weaken the opposition before the 2027 general election.

Speaking on Channels Television on Thursday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, maintained that the ADC supports the prosecution of anyone facing genuine criminal allegations. However, he argued that the circumstances surrounding El-Rufai’s detention had raised serious concerns about political interference.

“We are 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,” Abdullahi said.

He added, “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.”

Abdullahi further claimed that the ruling party viewed El-Rufai as a major asset to the emerging opposition coalition and wanted to prevent him from participating in preparations for the 2027 polls.

“They know that with Malam Nasir El-Rufai freed, the opposition is stronger… That is why they want to hold him,” he alleged.

The ADC spokesman also expressed concern over the former governor’s health, saying his family had disclosed that doctors at the National Hospital recommended continued medical observation after his condition reportedly worsened.

“If anything happens to Malam Nasir El-Rufai in detention, President Bola Tinubu will be held personally responsible because the buck stops on the table,” Abdullahi said, describing the former governor as “a political prisoner.”

He also accused the APC of relying on legal processes to weaken opposition figures instead of concentrating on governance, insisting that the party was preoccupied with the 2027 elections despite Nigeria’s pressing socio-economic challenges.

Abdullahi said the opposition coalition adopted the ADC as its platform to provide Nigerians with a credible alternative, while dismissing the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda as “just a slogan.”

El-Rufai is facing charges filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission over alleged financial misconduct during his tenure as governor of Kaduna State.

He is also standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja in a separate case instituted by the Department of State Services over allegations of unlawful interception of telephone communications.