The African Democratic Congress has demanded the immediate release or arraignment of former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, saying his continued detention without formal charges is a violation of fundamental rights and the Constitution.
The ADC stated that El-Rufai, who honoured an invitation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission 32 days ago, was later taken into custody by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
According to the party, he has remained in detention for more than 30 days without arraignment, formal charges, or access to family and medical care.
In a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary on Wednesday, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party described the circumstances of El-Rufai’s detention as “illegal, unconstitutional, and an affront to the democratic principles of Nigeria.”
The ADC said that, by his own account, El-Rufai was allegedly coerced into abandoning his political rights and associations in exchange for freedom.
“Freedom is not a privilege that is granted at the pleasure of the executive branch. It is a right guaranteed by the Constitution. The right to liberty, the right to fair hearing, and the right to political participation are not negotiable or conditional,” the statement read.
It further noted, “A government that detains without charge, intimidates without evidence, and demands silence in exchange for freedom is not acting like a democratic government; it is behaving like something else entirely.”
The ADC also directed relevant state actors, including the National Security Adviser, the leadership of the ICPC, and other agencies involved, to comply immediately and unconditionally with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“For the avoidance of doubt…the ICPC was established to investigate and prosecute corruption, and strengthen public trust in governance—not to serve as an instrument of political suppression or a tool in partisan political battles.”
The party called on Nigerians across party lines, religions, and states to rise in defence of the Constitution, warning that “the erosion of rights rarely begins with everyone; it begins with one and spreads where silence permits it.”
The statement also criticised what it described as “the irony and shame” that a government claiming democratic credentials would preside over actions reminiscent of abuses resisted during the NADECO era.
Concluding by emphasising that the ADC “demands the immediate release of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai or his immediate arraignment in a court of competent jurisdiction. Nothing more. Nothing less. That is the law.”
Online reports that El-Rufai remains in custody amid multiple investigations.
The Department of State Services filed three-count cybercrime charges against him following his February 13 Arise TV interview, in which he admitted accessing intercepted phone conversations of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu.
El-Rufai linked the tapped conversations to an attempted detention at Abuja airport on February 12.
Separately, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission are probing the alleged diversion of N432 billion in Kaduna State public funds.
He was detained by EFCC on February 16, granted bail on February 18, and immediately rearrested by ICPC.