El-Rufai support group hires US Lobbyists over ICPC trial

By Luminous Jannamike

ABUJA — The El-Rufai Support Group Association, ERSGA, has hired a United States-based advocacy firm to lead an international campaign over the ongoing trial of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai.

The group said the move was intended to draw international attention to what it described as concerns over due process and judicial independence in the handling of the case against the former governor.

In a statement, Mohammed Salihu, ERSGA’s Director of Strategic Partnership, said the association had retained Vanguard Africa, a Washington, D.C.-based organisation, to engage policymakers, democracy advocates and other international stakeholders on developments surrounding the prosecution.

According to him, the firm will engage officials of the US government, members of Congress, pro-democracy institutions and multilateral organisations as part of efforts to draw attention to the case.

“The treatment of Governor El-Rufai is not an isolated incident; it is a symptom of a deeper crisis threatening Nigeria’s democratic institutions.

“We are bringing these concerns to Washington because the international community has both the standing and the responsibility to speak plainly when due process is weaponised for political ends,” Salihu added.

ERSGA maintained that el-Rufai is innocent of the allegations against him and called on foreign governments, democratic institutions and civil society organisations to closely monitor developments surrounding the case.

El-Rufai has been in ICPC custody since February over allegations of financial impropriety linked to his tenure as Kaduna State governor.

He was indicted by the Kaduna State House of Assembly in 2024 over the alleged diversion of N423 billion in public funds and money laundering. The assembly subsequently recommended that anti-graft agencies investigate the allegations.

He was later arraigned by the ICPC before a Kaduna High Court on an amended nine-count charge bordering on alleged fraud and abuse of office.

The latest move by his supporters comes amid claims by members of his family that his rights have been violated while in custody.

The ICPC has rejected the allegations and maintains that it has acted within the law.

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