The camp of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has kicked against the continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The former Kaduna governor has spent 200 days in detention since he was taken into the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
A statement by Atiku’s media aide, Paul Ibe, said El-Rufai is entitled to justice, due process and equal treatment under the law.
He described the former governor as a political prisoner, alleging that he is being detained simply because he decided to chart a different political path, as provided for in Nigeria’s Constitution.
According to him, former Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, who is facing an ongoing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, remains politically active and has secured the senatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC, stressing that nobody should be above the law.
“Two hundred days! That’s how long Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has spent in detention as at today, 04 September 2026.
“By the way, he is not asking for immunity from investigation. He is entitled to justice, due process and equal treatment under the law.
“But Nigerians have every right to ask: why does the law appear so aggressive against opposition politicians and so accommodating to politicians in the ruling APC?
“The pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore: police, EFCC, ICPC and other state institutions, including a rogue element of the judiciary, have ‘Emilokanised’ into instruments of pressure against opposition figures as 2027 approaches.
“If the APC believes Nigerians love its record of hunger, inflation, high fuel and electricity prices, high cost of living and crushing poverty, let it campaign on that record.
“If Tinubu believes he deserves another mandate, let him earn it at the ballot box and not with a gun to the heads of the opposition leaders and the citizens they seek to govern.
“The opposition should be defeated by voters—not detained, intimidated or buried under endless litigation.
“A government that is confident in its popularity should not fear a strong opposition. Democracy is not simply about holding elections.
“It is about ensuring that those elections are genuinely free and competitive. today, it is El-Rufai. Tomorrow, it could be anyone. If state power is used to clear the political field before Nigerians get to vote, then the greatest casualty will not be the opposition. It will be Nigerian democracy,” the statement said.
