The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) plans to keep former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai in custody until after the 2027 general election to weaken the opposition.
The allegation was made on Thursday by the National Publicity Secretary of the ADC, Bolaji Abdullahi, during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today.
According to Abdullahi, the opposition believes the Federal Government is deliberately making it difficult for El-Rufai to secure bail despite the offences against him being bailable.
He argued that keeping the former governor in detention would reduce the influence of the opposition ahead of the next general election.
“What I can tell you is that the thinking within the ADC is that the APC government has concluded that they will not release Mallam Nasir El-Rufai until after the election.
“That’s what we believe, that’s the plan, and that’s what they plan to do. They know that with Mallam Nasir El-Rufai freed, the opposition is stronger and they know that if they release him, he would remind them of certain things that they would rather forget,” Abdullahi said.
He added that the ADC believes efforts are being made to ensure El-Rufai remains in custody until after the 2027 elections.
“We in the opposition believe that they are doing everything to make sure that El-Rufai remains in custody until after the election,” he stated.
Abdullahi stressed that the ADC is not against the prosecution of anyone accused of committing an offence.
However, he argued that due process must be followed and that suspects facing bailable offences should not be subjected to conditions that effectively deny them their constitutional right to bail.
“ADC is 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 arraign that person and make impossible conditions for bail to meet, it creates room for us to believe that you deliberately intend to hold this person in perpetuity,” he said.
The APC had not responded to the allegation as of the time of filing this report.
El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State, has remained one of Nigeria’s most prominent politicians in recent years.
He served as governor from 2015 to 2023 after previously holding positions including Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises and Minister of the Federal Capital Territory.
Once regarded as a close political ally of President Bola Tinubu, El-Rufai’s relationship with the ruling APC later became strained following political disagreements after the 2023 general election.
In recent months, the former governor has emerged as one of the leading opposition voices against the Tinubu administration.
His criticism of the Federal Government’s policies and his political activities have attracted significant public attention.
The ADC has also positioned itself as one of the opposition parties seeking to challenge the APC in the 2027 general election.
The issue of El-Rufai’s detention has generated public debate, with supporters insisting that he should be granted bail if the offences against him are bailable, while others maintain that the legal process should be allowed to run its course without political interference.
Under Nigeria’s Constitution, every person charged with a criminal offence is presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law.
The law also provides that suspects facing bailable offences may apply for bail, with the court determining whether to grant or refuse the request based on the circumstances of each case.
The courts also have the responsibility of deciding bail applications independently, based on the law and the facts presented before them.
As political activities gradually gather momentum ahead of the 2027 elections, analysts expect exchanges between the ruling party and opposition parties to intensify over issues relating to governance, security, the economy and the administration of justice.
For now, the ADC maintains that El-Rufai’s continued detention is politically motivated, while awaiting the outcome of ongoing legal proceedings.
Neither the Federal Government nor the APC had officially commented on Abdullahi’s claims at the time this report was filed.