The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Federal Government of using the ongoing legal battles involving former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The party's National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, alleged that el-Rufai's continued detention was politically motivated and aimed at preventing him from participating in the next election cycle.
Abdullahi, a former Minister of Sports and Youth Development, made the claims during an interview on Symfoni, insisting that the matter surrounding the former governor was beyond legal proceedings.
El-Rufai is currently facing a five-count amended charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) over allegations bordering on unlawful interception of telephone conversations involving the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
He is also being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on a nine-count charge, with his bail application reportedly dismissed in July.
Reacting to the development, Abdullahi said the ADC believed the continued detention of the former Kaduna governor was politically driven.
"Well, we don't know what went wrong, but what is clear is that this is not about law, it's not about crime and punishment, it's politics," he said.
According to him, if there are allegations against el-Rufai, the courts should be allowed to determine his guilt or innocence rather than keeping him in custody indefinitely.
"Let the court pronounce that he's guilty or he's not guilty. But to continue to hold him interminably speaks to something else," Abdullahi said.
He alleged that the objective of the APC-led administration was to keep el-Rufai away from political activities and prevent him from contributing to the growth of the opposition.
The ADC spokesman also recalled el-Rufai's role in mobilising northern support for President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential election, saying the former governor was instrumental in securing backing for Tinubu's emergence.
"When some people in the north were saying they must contest in the election of 2023, it was Mallam Nasir el-Rufai that mobilised the entire north behind President Bola Tinubu, along with other people," he said.
Abdullahi further claimed that Tinubu had previously acknowledged el-Rufai's importance to his administration and appealed to him not to leave the country because of the role he would play in government.
He expressed concern over reports about el-Rufai's health condition, warning that President Tinubu would be held responsible if anything happened to the former governor while in custody.
"I'll repeat it here. If, God forbid, anything happens to Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, President Bola Tinubu should realise, even if he didn't intend it, that he would be held personally responsible and the consequences cannot even be imagined," he said.
Abdullahi urged the government to release el-Rufai on bail to enable him to face the legal process, adding that the ADC would investigate the circumstances surrounding his detention if it assumes power in the future.
The former Kaduna governor's wives had earlier appealed to President Tinubu to intervene and secure his release.
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