ADC Blames Tinubu Government for El-Rufai’s Detention, Warns President Will Be Held Responsible

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Federal Government of using the continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai as a political strategy, warning that the Tinubu administration would be held responsible if anything happens to the former governor while he remains in custody.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, made the allegation during an interview on Symfoni TV, where he argued that El-Rufai’s detention was driven by politics rather than the pursuit of justice.

Abdullahi insisted that questions about El-Rufai’s guilt or innocence should be left to the courts, stressing that prolonged detention without a judicial determination raises concerns about the government’s intentions.

“If anything happens to El-Rufai while he remains in state custody, President Bola Tinubu and his administration will bear full responsibility,” Abdullahi said.

He further claimed that the continued detention was designed to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 general elections by preventing El-Rufai from participating in political activities.

“El-Rufai is not being held today because he committed any crime. That would have been left for the court to decide. Let the court pronounce that he is guilty or is not guilty,” he stated.

According to Abdullahi, keeping the former governor in custody indefinitely suggests a political motive rather than a legal process. He alleged that the government’s objective was to stop El-Rufai from strengthening opposition forces ahead of the next presidential election.

The ADC spokesman also recalled El-Rufai’s political support for President Bola Tinubu during the APC presidential primary, claiming that the former Kaduna governor stood by Tinubu when many members of former President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet did not.

The Federal Government has not publicly responded to Abdullahi’s latest allegations as of the time of filing this report.