APC Wants El-Rufai Detained Until After 2027 Election, ADC Alleges

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, of deliberately keeping former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai in custody to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the allegation during an interview on Channels Television on Thursday, saying the handling of El-Rufai’s case suggested political motives.

Abdullahi, however, said the ADC was not opposed to the prosecution of anyone with a legitimate case to answer, but argued that El-Rufai’s continued detention despite facing bailable offences raised concerns.

He said, “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.”

The ADC spokesman alleged that the APC government believed releasing El-Rufai would strengthen the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.

“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 said.

He claimed that El-Rufai’s release would boost the opposition coalition, adding that the former governor remained influential in Nigerian politics.

Abdullahi also raised concerns over El-Rufai’s health, citing reports from his family that doctors at the National Hospital had advised that he remain under medical observation after his condition worsened.

“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,” he said, describing El-Rufai as “a political prisoner.”

He further accused the APC of using legal proceedings to weaken opposition figures rather than focusing on governance challenges.

El-Rufai is currently facing allegations of financial misconduct brought by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC, over his tenure as Kaduna State governor.

He is also standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja in a separate case filed by the Department of State Services, DSS, over alleged unlawful interception of telephone communications.