Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), has described the detention and trial of Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna, as “political persecution”.
Speaking in Kaduna during a stakeholders’ meeting of the
African Democratic Congress (ADC), Obi said el-Rufai is being treated as a
fugitive despite returning to the country willingly from Egypt.
The former Anambra governor said the law stipulates that
anyone accused of a crime should be treated with dignity until they are proven
guilty.
“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,” Obi said.
“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.”
Obi and el-Rufai recently joined the ADC as part of a gale
of defectors who intend to unseat the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the
centre in 2027.
In 2023, the ex-minister was one of Obi’s biggest critics .
THE ARREST
On February 12, there was mild drama at the Nnamdi Azikiwe
International Airport, Abuja, when security operatives attempted to arrest
el-Rufai as he arrived from Cairo.
Muyiwa Adekeye, media aide to the former governor, alleged
that operatives approached el-Rufai shortly after he disembarked from his
flight but he declined to accompany them in the absence of a formal invitation.
On February 16, el-Rufai voluntarily presented himself at the headquarters of the Economic
and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He has been in the custody of the Independent Corrupt
Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) since February 19 —
after he was released by the EFCC.
On March 5, the magistrate court extended the initial remand
order for el-Rufai by another 14 days.
There have been several calls for the commission to release
or arraign el-Rufai.
El-Rufai had filed a fundamental rights suit before the
federal high court in Abuja over the search conducted on his residence by the
ICPC and the remand order issued on February 19.
The ICPC, the chief magistrate who issued the order, the
inspector-general of police (IGP), and the attorney-general of the federation
(AGF) are respondents in the suit.
On Tuesday morning, el-Rufai arrived at the federal high
court in Kaduna for his arraignment.
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