The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has said the continued detention of former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, is illegal, unconstitutional and an affront to democratic principles.
ADC, in a statement issued by the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of weaponisation of state institutions against political participation.
The party noted that the former governor has spent 30 days in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) without arraignment or formal charges, and has been restricted from his family members and doctor.
ADC also alleged that el-Rufai is being coerced to abandon his political rights and associations as the price for his freedom.
“Let us be clear, this is not law enforcement. It is illegal. It is unconstitutional. It is an affront to the very idea of Nigeria as a democratic country,” the party stated.
ADC reminded the ICPC that freedom is not a privilege that is granted at the pleasure of the executive branch.
“It is a right that is guaranteed by the Constitution. The right to liberty. The right to a fair hearing. The right to political participation. These are not negotiable. They are not conditional. And they are not to be negotiated in dark rooms under threat by agencies that report to President Tinubu and his appointees,” the party said.
According to the party, a government that detains without charge, intimidates without evidence, and demands silence in exchange for freedom is not acting like a democratic government.
ADC therefore demands that relevant state actors should immediately and unconditionally comply with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, noting that the ICPC was established to investigate and prosecute corruption and to strengthen the public’s trust in governance, not to serve as an instrument of political suppression or a tool in partisan political battles.
“Nigeria did not fight for democracy only to surrender it quietly through fear, silence, or selective justice,” the party said.
ADC called on all Nigerians, across party lines and religions, to rise in defence of the Constitution, stating that the erosion of rights rarely begins with everyone; “it begins with one, and spreads where and when silence permits it.
“We demand the immediate release of Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, or his immediate arraignment in a court of competent jurisdiction. Nothing more. Nothing less.”
