- Odibo Victory
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) 2027 Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar has demanded justice and due process for former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who has spent 200 days in detention.
Atiku made the demand in a statement issued by his spokesperson, Paul Ibe, on Friday, insisting that El-Rufai was not asking for immunity from investigation but was entitled to justice, due process and equal treatment under the law.
“Two hundred days! That’s how long Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has spent in detention as at today, 04 September 2026,” he said.
“By the way, he is not asking for immunity from investigation. He is entitled to justice, due process and equal treatment under the law.”
He questioned why the law appeared to be so aggressive against opposition politicians and so accommodating to politicians in the ruling APC.
According to the statement, Ibe described El-Rufai as “a political prisoner,” alleging that he was detained simply because he chose to pursue a different political path as provided for under the Constitution.
He also compared El-Rufai’s situation with that of former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, who is facing an ongoing prosecution by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) but remains politically active and has secured the APC’s senatorial ticket.
“Nobody should be above the law. But neither should the law become a political weapon,” he said.
Ibe also accused the police, EFCC, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), and other state institutions of being used to mount pressure on opposition figures ahead of the 2027 elections.
“The pattern is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore,” he said, alleging that the institutions had “Emilokanised” into “instruments of pressure against opposition figures as 2027 approaches.”
He also challenged the APC to campaign on the performance of the President Bola Tinubu-led administration if it believed Nigerians were satisfied with its record.
“If the APC believes Nigerians love its record of hunger, inflation, high fuel and electricity prices, high cost of living and crushing poverty, let it campaign on that record,” Atiku said.
He also urged President Tinubu to seek another mandate through the ballot box rather than through pressure on opposition leaders and citizens.
“If Tinubu believes he deserves another mandate, let him earn it at the ballot box and not with a gun to the heads of the opposition leaders and the citizens they seek to govern,” he said.
Ibe maintained that opposition parties should be defeated by voters rather than through detention, intimidation or prolonged legal battles.
“The opposition should be defeated by voters—not detained, intimidated or buried under endless litigation,” he said.
He added that a government confident in its popularity should not fear a strong opposition, stressing that democracy was more than simply conducting elections.
“It is about ensuring that those elections are genuinely free and competitive,” Atiku said.
Warning against the use of state power to weaken the opposition before the 2027 elections, he said, “Today, it is El-Rufai. Tomorrow, it could be anyone.”
“If state power is used to clear the political field before Nigerians get to vote, then the greatest casualty will not be the opposition. It will be Nigerian democracy,” Atiku said.
He concluded that the 2027 election must be determined by Nigerians rather than government machinery.
“2027 must be decided by THE PEOPLE—not by the machinery of government,” he said.