The African Democratic Congress, ADC has demanded the immediate release of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, or his immediate arraignment in a court of competent jurisdiction, declaring that there can be nothing more or less than this, if indeed the ruling party is serious about upholding the rule of law and securing the votes of Nigerian in the 2027 election.
A statement by the Party’s National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi reads:
The African Democratic Congress demands the immediate release of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, or his immediate arraignment in a court of competent jurisdiction. Nothing more. Nothing less.
If this is the democratic character of a government that is seeking another mandate from the Nigerian people, then Nigerians must ask themselves, what becomes of the rule of law and human rights when the Tinubu government no longer needs their votes?
This a stain on the conscience of our democracy and a dangerous descent into lawlessness by the Bola Tinubu-led government. Freedom is not a privilege that is granted at the pleasure of the executive branch. It is a right that is guaranteed by the Constitution.
If President Bola Tinubu intends to govern as though the Constitution is optional, then he owes Nigerians the honesty to say so openly. He must declare, without pretence, that the rules of democracy no longer apply. And if that is the path that he chooses, then Nigerians, citizens, institutions, the international community, and the opposition, will know that what stands before us is not democracy, but a dictatorship in disguise.
But if President Tinubu still claims allegiance to the rule of law, then we challenge him to prove it in action.
In this regard, the ADC therefore demands the immediate and unconditional compliance of all relevant state actors with the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. This includes the National Security Adviser, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, the leadership of the ICPC, and all agencies involved in this matter.
It is a profound irony, and indeed a shame, that a president who once stood as a self-proclaimed democrat, who claimed to have fought alongside NADECO against military dictatorship, now presides over actions that mirror the very abuses that NADECO resisted.