•Former LP candidate calls for rule of law; queries why a voluntary returnee is being treated like a fugitive.
Mr. Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has waded into the ongoing legal troubles of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, describing his continued detention as a “threat to democratic principles.”
Speaking on Sunday at an African Democratic Congress (ADC) stakeholders’ meeting in Kaduna, Obi slammed the federal government’s handling of the case, suggesting the motives are more political than judicial.
“It is a political persecution,” Obi stated. “We have a law, and that law allows for people to be treated with dignity until they are found guilty. Let our law prevail.”
El-Rufai has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) since February 18, following a transfer from the EFCC. He is being investigated for alleged money laundering and abuse of office. Additionally, the Department of State Services (DSS) recently filed cybercrime charges against him, with a hearing set for April 23, 2026.
Obi questioned why El-Rufai was being held despite returning to Nigeria voluntarily to face the authorities. “How do you invite someone who returned on his own and then treat him like a fugitive? Let the law take its course,” he added.
The former governor’s legal team, led by Ubong Esop Akpan, has already challenged the detention in court, alleging an “unlawful incarceration” and a gross misuse of court processes by anti-corruption agencies.
