The ongoing arrest of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai and his purportedly declining health have alarmed the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The party said in a statement released on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, that El-Rufai was denied access to his physicians and that his wife was unable to bring him food while he was detained.
President Bola Tinubu should be held accountable for any decline in his health, the ADC said, characterizing the scenario as a violation of his constitutional rights.
The Federal Government was accused by the opposing party of repressing opposition figures using state institutions.
The ADC claims that El-Rufai’s protracted arrest was not motivated by the pursuit of justice but rather by political considerations.
The statement said, “What is happening to Mallam El-Rufai confirms beyond all doubt that this detention is no longer about justice, it is about politics.”
“It also validates our concerns that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is using state power to suppress a prominent opposition figure.”
El-Rufai’s arrest was compared by the ADC to the treatment of other former governors who were accused of corruption.
The party cited former Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa and former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, claiming that they were free despite grave accusations against them.
The party said, “Mallam El-Rufai was first detained in February after he voluntarily offered himself for investigation and trial.”
After being detained for weeks, he was subsequently arraigned and given bail in April. However, the government has managed to keep him in custody indefinitely.
The ADC further charged Tinubu with subverting democratic values and referred to the former governor as a political prisoner.
The statement went on, “We state clearly: Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is President Bola Tinubu’s political prisoner.”
The party contended that the president’s discretion should not be the basis for upholding the rule of law.
The opposition party threatened to hold President Tinubu, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offenses Commission (ICPC), and other security services accountable for any future violations of El-Rufai’s rights.
In order to secure his release, the ADC further revealed that it had started pursuing legal local and international steps.
According to the statement, “the African Democratic Congress has put in motion mechanisms, through every lawful means available locally, nationally, continentally, and internationally, to secure Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s release.”
