The African Democratic Congress has accused the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government of plotting to keep former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, in custody until after the 2027 general election.
The opposition party claimed that the ruling APC believed El-Rufai’s release before the polls would strengthen the opposition ahead of the election.
ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the allegation on Thursday while speaking on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme.
Abdullahi maintained that the ADC was not opposed to the prosecution of anyone with a legitimate case to answer. However, he argued that making it difficult for El-Rufai to secure bail despite facing bailable offences raised questions about the government’s intentions.
According to him, the conditions attached to El-Rufai’s bail suggested a deliberate attempt to keep the former governor behind bars indefinitely.
“We are not opposed to anybody with a legitimate case to answer being prosecuted. But when someone is held in custody for bailable offences and is arraigned with bail conditions that are almost impossible to meet, it creates the impression that there is a deliberate intention to keep that person in detention for a long time,” Abdullahi said.
He alleged that the APC had concluded plans to keep El-Rufai in custody until after the 2027 election because of the political advantage his freedom could give the opposition.
“What I can tell you is that the thinking within the ADC is that the APC government has concluded that it will not release Mallam Nasir El-Rufai until after the election.
“That is what we believe is the plan. They know that if Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is released, the opposition will become stronger. They also know that he would remind them of certain things they would rather forget.
“We in the opposition believe they are doing everything possible to ensure that El-Rufai remains in custody until after the election,” he added.
