The African Democratic Congress has accused the Federal Government of deliberately keeping former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, in detention as part of a wider political strategy ahead of the 2027 general election.
Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesperson of the ADC, made the allegation on Thursday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
According to him, the opposition party believes the All Progressives Congress-led government has no real intention of releasing el-Rufai before the next election cycle.
Abdullahi said the ADC was not against the prosecution of anyone with a legitimate case to answer. However, he argued that the handling of el-Rufai’s case had raised serious concerns about political persecution.
He said keeping a person in custody over bailable offences, while repeatedly imposing difficult bail conditions, creates the impression that the government is using the legal process to prolong detention.
ADC says detention is political
Abdullahi claimed that el-Rufai’s continued detention was aimed at weakening the opposition before the 2027 elections.
He argued that the former governor remains an influential political figure whose release could strengthen opposition mobilisation against the ruling party.
“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,” Abdullahi said.
He added that the opposition believes the government is using legal procedures to keep el-Rufai out of political circulation.
According to him, the former governor’s voice and political network could become a major factor in the build-up to the elections if he is released.
Concerns raised over el-Rufai’s health
The ADC spokesperson also expressed concern over el-Rufai’s health, saying reports from the former governor’s family indicated that he required medical attention.
Abdullahi claimed that el-Rufai was recently taken to the National Hospital, where doctors reportedly advised that he should be kept under close medical watch because of his condition.
He warned that the opposition would hold President Bola Tinubu responsible if anything happened to the former governor while in custody.
“There is a political prisoner in Nigeria today, and his name is Malam Nasir el-Rufai,” Abdullahi said.
ICPC, DSS cases continue
El-Rufai has been in custody since February and is facing separate criminal proceedings.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission is prosecuting him on separate charges before the Kaduna State High Court and the Federal High Court in Kaduna.
At the Kaduna High Court, his bail applications have reportedly been dismissed several times.
The Department of State Services is also prosecuting the former governor before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations of wiretapping.
The Federal Government and the APC had not responded to Abdullahi’s latest allegations in the material provided.
For now, the case has moved beyond the courtroom into the centre of Nigeria’s political debate. To the ADC, el-Rufai’s detention is no longer just a legal matter. It is now a test of how far the ruling party is willing to go in managing opposition pressure before 2027.
