The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has warned that President Bola Tinubu would be held personally responsible if anything happens to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai while he remains in detention.
The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the remark while criticizing the continued detention of the former governor by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, ICPC.
El-Rufai was taken into custody in February 2026 following a petition alleging corruption, abuse of office and money laundering during his time as governor of Kaduna State.
He has remained in detention after the ICPC obtained a 14 day remand order from a Magistrate Court in Abuja under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act, 2015. The remand order was subsequently extended.
Speaking during an interview on Symponi TV, Abdullahi alleged that El-Rufai’s continued detention was politically motivated and intended to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 general election.
According to him, the former governor should be allowed to face the judicial process instead of remaining in prolonged detention.
“Nasir El-Rufai is not being held today because he committed any crime, as that would have been left for the court to decide. Let the court pronounce whether he is guilty or not guilty.
“But to continue to hold him speaks to something else, and that’s why it is clear to us that the intention of this government is to keep El-Rufai in detention to ensure that he does not participate in this election and does not strengthen the opposition,” Abdullahi said.
He further warned that the Federal Government would bear responsibility should anything happen to the former governor while in custody.
“I will repeat it here that if, God forbid, anything happens to El-Rufai, President Bola Tinubu should realize that even if he didn’t intend it, he would be held personally responsible, and the consequences cannot be imagined,” he said.
