El-Rufai Facing Political Persecution – Obi

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has described the detention and trial of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai as political persecution.

Speaking in Kaduna during a stakeholders’ meeting of the African Democratic Congress, Obi said El-Rufai is being treated like a fugitive despite returning voluntarily from Egypt.

“It is political persecution. We have a law, and that law allows for people to be treated with dignity until they are found guilty. Let our law prevail.

“How do you tell somebody you’re inviting him, and he came back voluntarily to the country, and you’re treating him like somebody who was running away? Let the law run its course. I have said it. I’ve written about it, and I continue to say so,” he added.

Obi and El-Rufai recently joined the ADC as part of a wave of defectors aiming to challenge the All Progressives Congress at the centre in 2027. Notably, El-Rufai was among Obi’s prominent critics during the 2023 elections.

El-Rufai was initially approached for arrest at Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport on February 12 upon arrival from Cairo but declined to accompany operatives without a formal invitation. He later voluntarily presented himself to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission on February 16, and has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission since February 19.

On Tuesday, El-Rufai arrived at the federal high court in Kaduna for his scheduled arraignment, amid ongoing calls from stakeholders for either his release or formal arraignment.