The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has alleged that the continued detention of former Kaduna State governor Nasir el-Rufai is politically motivated and aimed at preventing him from participating in the 2027 general election.

Speaking during an interview on Symfoni, the party’s national publicity secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, also warned that President Bola Tinubu would be held responsible if anything happened to the former governor while in custody.

El-Rufai is currently facing trial on a five-count amended charge filed by the Department of State Services (DSS) over allegations that he unlawfully intercepted telephone conversations linked to the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.

He Is also being prosecuted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on a separate nine-count charge. Earlier this month, the court dismissed his bail application.

Abdullahi dismissed claims that El-Rufai’s detention was based on criminal allegations.

“Well, we don’t know what went wrong, but what is clear is that this is not about law, it’s not about crime and punishment, it’s politics.

“Mallam Nasir el-Rufai is not being held today because he committed any crime, because that would have been left for the court to decide. Let the court pronounce that he’s guilty or he’s not guilty.

“But to continue to hold him interminably speaks to something else, and that is why it is clear to us that the desire or the intention of this APC government is to continue to hold Mallam Nasir el-Rufai to ensure that he does not participate in this election and he does not strengthen the opposition. That is exactly what they plan to do.”

The ADC spokesman further claimed that El-Rufai was instrumental in rallying northern support for Tinubu ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

“When some people in the north were saying they must contest in the election of 2023, it was Mallam Nasir el-Rufai that mobilised the entire north behind President Bola Tinubu, along with other people.

“And I’ve seen videos where President Bola Tinubu himself was appealing to Mallam Nasir el-Rufai not to leave the country because the government would need him.

“Then what happened? Some of these things beggar belief and make you begin to wonder whether it’s true what people say, that there are marabouts who are determining these things, who say, oh, maybe this person’s star would outshine your own if you allow him to come here. We hear these things, right?”

Abdullahi also expressed concern about El-Rufai’s health, warning that the President would be blamed if the former governor came to harm.

“I’ll repeat it here. If, God forbid, anything happens to Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, President Bola Tinubu should realise, even if he didn’t intend it, that he would be held personally responsible and the consequences cannot even be imagined.

“So, it’s either he releases Mallam el-Rufai on bail and allow him to face justice or he continues to hold him until the end of his tenure.

“We would come into government. We would investigate what happened and due blames will be apportioned.” (Vanguard)

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