Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to direct the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to release former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, if the nation’s anti-graft agencies truly operate under his control.
Atiku’s remarks come amid the ongoing controversy surrounding el-Rufai’s detention by the ICPC, with the opposition leader insisting that the President should publicly demonstrate his influence over anti-corruption agencies if allegations of executive interference are unfounded.
The ADC presidential candidate argued that if the ICPC and other anti-graft institutions genuinely answer to the Presidency, as widely alleged by critics, President Tinubu should have no difficulty instructing the commission to free the former Kaduna governor.
His comments add a fresh political dimension to the debate over the independence of Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies, a subject that has repeatedly sparked public and legal scrutiny.
Neither the Presidency nor the ICPC had officially responded to Atiku’s challenge at the time of filing this report.
