The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has described as “grave violation of fundamental human rights”, the continued detention of former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, vowing to petition Amnesty International and other human rights groups.
The ex-Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), and chieftain of the ADC has been held in custody for over 30 days.
Reacting to the development, ADC in a statement described the detention as illegal and unconstitutional, alleging attempts to coerce El-Rufai into abandoning his political choice, and called on the ICPC to uphold the rule of law by immediately releasing El-Rufai from custody to enable him to prepare his own defence.
The statement signed by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the party maintained that detaining a “citizen interminably is the hallmark of dictatorship and has no place in a democracy” and vowed to petition the Amnesty International and other human rights groups if El-Rufai is not released immediately.
ADC also declared that the continued violation of the fundamental rights of El-Rufai is a stain on the conscience of our democracy and a dangerous descent into lawlessness by the Bola Tinubu-led government.
The statement said, thirty-two days ago, El-Rufai, honoured an invitation by the EFCC in good faith, an act that should define a law-abiding citizen in a democratic society. Two days after his release, he was taken again, this time by the ICPC. Today, more than 30 days later, he remains in custody without arraignment, without formal charges, and under conditions that, by his own account include, restrictions from his family members and doctor; and coercion to abandon his political rights and associations as the price for his freedom.
“This is not law enforcement. This is the weaponisation of state institutions against political participation. It is illegal. It is unconstitutional. It is an affront to the very idea of Nigeria as a democratic country.
“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 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.
“We must speak plainly, 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.”
ADC said if President Bola Tinubu intends to govern as though the Constitution is optional, then he owes Nigerians the honesty to say so openly.
“He must declare, without pretence, that the rules of democracy no longer apply. And if that is the path that he chooses, then Nigerians, citizens, institutions, the international community, and the opposition, will know that what stands before us is not democracy, but a dictatorship in disguise.
“But if President Tinubu still claims allegiance to the rule of law, then we challenge him to prove it in action. In this regard, the ADC therefore demands the immediate and unconditional compliance of all relevant state actors with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This includes the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the leadership of the ICPC, and all agencies involved in this matter.
“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.
“Nevertheless, as a law-abiding party, today, the ADC calls on all Nigerians, across party lines, across states, across religions, to rise in defence of the Constitution. Today it is El-Rufai. Tomorrow, it could be anyone else that the president sees as a threat to his 2027 agenda. 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. That is the law. And let it be said clearly, if this is the democratic character of a government that is seeking another mandate from the Nigerian people, then Nigerians must ask themselves, what becomes of the rule of law and human rights when the Tinubu government no longer needs their votes?
“It is a profound irony, and indeed a shame, that a president who once stood as a self-proclaimed democrat, who claimed to have fought alongside NADECO against military dictatorship, now presides over actions that mirror the very abuses that NADECO resisted.”
