ADC accuses FG of selective justice over El-Rufai, Malami cases
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Federal Government of applying justice selectively in the ongoing legal cases involving former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
In a press statement issued Tuesday, the party’s spokesperson, Bolaji Abudulliah said while it believes no citizen is above the law, the handling of the cases against the two opposition figures has raised serious concerns about fairness, consistency and adherence to constitutional safeguards.
The ADC said it had been closely monitoring developments surrounding the legal actions against Malami and El-Rufai, noting that both men have been moved between law enforcement agencies in what it described as “prolonged custodial movements” and inter-agency transfers.
According to the party, such actions appear to precede the filing of fully crystallised charges, creating what it called the impression of pre-trial punishment rather than due process. It stressed that in a constitutional democracy, custody should follow credible and well-prepared charges, not come before them.
The party maintained that both men, as Nigerian citizens, are entitled to the presumption of innocence until proven guilty by a competent court of law. It added that this presumption is a constitutional guarantee and not a privilege.
“If there is evidence against Abubakar Malami, prosecute him transparently. If there is evidence against Nasir El-Rufai, present it before the court and allow the law to take its course,” the statement read.
The ADC further called for immediate public clarification from relevant authorities on the status and stage of investigations into the two cases. It demanded strict adherence to constitutional safeguards against arbitrary or prolonged detention, transparent and time-bound prosecution of any charges backed by credible evidence, and equal application of the law irrespective of political alignment.
The party also warned against what it described as the perception that coercive instruments of the Federal Government of Nigeria under President Bola Tinubu are being deployed with unusual speed against opposition figures while other high-profile cases move more slowly.
