FG detaining El-Rufai to weaken opposition ahead of 2027 — ADC

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of using the continued detention of former Kaduna State governor Nasir el-Rufai to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 general election.

Speaking during an interview on Symfoni, the party’s national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, alleged that el-Rufai was being kept in custody for political reasons rather than legal ones, insisting that the former governor should be granted bail while his cases proceed in court.

Abdullahi argued that if the allegations against el-Rufai were purely criminal, the courts should be allowed to determine his guilt or innocence without prolonged detention.

According to him, the ADC believes the objective is to prevent el-Rufai from participating in the 2027 elections and from strengthening the opposition coalition.

The former minister also warned that President Tinubu would be held responsible if anything happened to el-Rufai while in custody.

“If, God forbid, anything happens to Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, President Bola Tinubu should realise that he would be held personally responsible,” Abdullahi said, adding that the former governor should either be released on bail or allowed to continue facing trial without what he described as indefinite detention.

He further claimed that an ADC-led government would investigate the circumstances surrounding el-Rufai’s detention if it comes to power.

Abdullahi also recalled el-Rufai’s role in the 2023 presidential election, saying the former Kaduna governor was instrumental in mobilising support for Tinubu across northern Nigeria despite pressure from some political figures for a northern presidential candidate.