The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of deliberately keeping former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai in detention as part of a political strategy to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 general election.
The allegation was made by the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, during an interview on Channels Television on Thursday.
Abdullahi maintained that while the party supports the prosecution of anyone with a legitimate case to answer, the circumstances surrounding El-Rufai’s continued detention raise serious concerns about possible political interference.
According to him, the offences for which the former governor is being prosecuted are bailable, yet he has remained in custody under what the party considers unnecessarily stringent bail conditions.
“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.
The ADC spokesman claimed that many members of the opposition now believe the Federal Government intends to keep El-Rufai behind bars until after the next general election.
“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,” he added.
Abdullahi further alleged that the ruling APC was uncomfortable with El-Rufai’s political influence and feared his role in strengthening the opposition coalition ahead of 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.
He also expressed concern over the former governor’s health, citing reports from members of El-Rufai’s family that medical personnel at the National Hospital recommended that he remain under observation following a deterioration in his condition.
The ADC official warned that the Federal Government would be held accountable should anything happen to El-Rufai while he remains in custody.
“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.
He described the former Kaduna State governor as “a political prisoner.”
Abdullahi also accused the APC-led administration of deploying legal actions against opposition figures as part of efforts to weaken alternative political voices before the 2027 elections.
According to him, the formation of the ADC coalition was motivated by a desire to provide Nigerians with a credible political alternative capable of addressing the country’s socio-economic and governance challenges.
He dismissed the Federal Government’s Renewed Hope Agenda as lacking substance, describing it as “just a slogan.”
Nasir El-Rufai is currently facing prosecution by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over allegations of financial misconduct linked to his tenure as Governor of Kaduna State.
The former governor is also standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja in a separate case filed by the Department of State Services (DSS), where he is accused of unlawful interception of telephone communications.
Both cases remain before the courts.
