El-Rufai is being persecuted because he joined ADC - Okonkwo

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, Kenneth Okonkwo, has alleged that the continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai is politically motivated, directly linking his ordeal to his association with the opposition party.

Okonkwo, a lawyer, made the allegation on Friday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Morning Brief, where he also condemned the detention as a violation of El-Rufai’s constitutional rights.

“He is being maltreated, he is being persecuted because he has joined ADC, and we are not exculpating anybody,” Okonkwo said, placing responsibility for the situation squarely at the feet of President Bola Tinubu.

“For now, he is using his authority as the commander-in-chief to use the instrumentality of the anti-corruption agencies in courts, because I wonder whether there is any commission fighting corruption in Tinubu’s regime,” he added.

Okonkwo argued that keeping El-Rufai in detention without charge runs contrary to constitutional provisions on fundamental human rights, stressing that security agencies lack the authority to hold suspects indefinitely under the pretext of ongoing investigations.

“That is illegal, and any such order is unconstitutional. If El-Rufai committed any crime, please bring him to trial, grant him bail, so that if he is convicted, fine, nobody in ADC is quarrelling against the rule of law,” he said.

The ADC chieftain further noted that an arrest should only follow the conclusion of an investigation, not precede it.

“The whole idea of arrest is that you have completed your investigation and found the person culpable for the crime you alleged he committed. It is the duty of the prosecution to prove the guilt of the suspect, not the suspect to defend his innocence,” he stated.

El-Rufai has remained in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission since February 19, following his release by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission. On Wednesday, a magistrate’s court in Bwari, FCT, granted the ICPC a fresh 14-day detention order as investigations into allegations of money laundering and abuse of office continue. His family has since faulted the detention.

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