The National Publicity Secretary of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, has warned that President Bola Tinubu would be held personally responsible if anything happens to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, whose continued detention he described as politically motivated.
Speaking during an interview on Naija Unfiltered, a Symfoni podcast, Abdullahi alleged that El-Rufai’s health had deteriorated while in custody and accused the Federal Government of deliberately keeping the former governor out of the political scene ahead of the 2027 general elections.
According to him, El-Rufai’s detention is not about the law but about politics.
“Today, Mallam El-Rufai is being held and his health is failing from all accounts that we’ve had. If, God forbid, anything happens to Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, President Tinubu should realise that even if he didn’t intend it, he will be held personally responsible, and the consequences cannot even be imagined,” Abdullahi said.
The ADC spokesman argued that the former Kaduna governor played a significant role in Tinubu’s emergence as president in 2023 and claimed the administration now sees him as a political threat.
He alleged that El-Rufai was instrumental in mobilising political support for Tinubu in northern Nigeria at a time when many influential figures were reportedly reluctant to back his presidential ambition.
According to Abdullahi, the government’s alleged decision to keep El-Rufai in detention is aimed at preventing him from strengthening the opposition ahead of the next presidential election.
“He knows what Mallam did for him, and that’s why he made sure that the one person he has taken out of circulation is Mallam because he knows what he is capable of doing,” he said.
Abdullahi called on the authorities to either release El-Rufai on bail to face trial or allow the judicial process to proceed without prolonged detention.
He maintained that if the former governor committed any offence, the courts should determine his guilt instead of what he described as indefinite detention.
The ADC spokesman also expressed confidence that President Tinubu could be defeated in the 2027 presidential election, insisting that widespread dissatisfaction with the current administration would work against the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
He claimed many Nigerians were struggling with rising living costs, insecurity and unemployment, arguing that the government had failed to improve citizens’ welfare since assuming office.
Beyond El-Rufai’s detention, Abdullahi criticised the Tinubu administration over alleged corruption, the state of democratic institutions and what he described as attempts to weaken opposition parties through legal and political means.
He also renewed calls for an independent investigation into allegations surrounding a purported fake government agency scandal, arguing that only a transparent inquiry would restore public confidence in the presidency.
