The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has condemned the refusal of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to grant party leaders access to former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, who is currently in the custody of the anti-graft agency.
In a statement issued by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC expressed concern over what it described as intimidation and the alleged use of state institutions to target opposition figures.
According to the statement, senior party officials, including the ADC National Secretary, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, and the Secretary of the party’s Policy and Manifesto Committee, Mallam Salihu Lukman, visited the ICPC headquarters in Abuja on Thursday to see El-Rufai but were denied access despite prior communication and formal requests.
The party further alleged that while its leaders were waiting for a response from the Commission, the atmosphere at the facility became tense following the arrival of several truckloads of armed police officers.
ADC described the heavy security deployment as unnecessary and disproportionate, insisting that the delegation was peaceful and unarmed.
“It is deeply troubling that a simple request by senior party officials to visit a detained colleague was met, not with professionalism, but with a show of force more suited to the suppression of civil unrest,” the statement read.
The party claimed the development reinforced concerns that state institutions were being used as instruments of political intimidation against opposition voices.
ADC also disclosed that its National Secretary had earlier written officially to the Chairman of the ICPC, Dr. Musa Adamu Aliyu, requesting visitation rights for El-Rufai amid concerns over his wellbeing and alleged restrictions on access to family members and medical personnel.
The party stressed that El-Rufai voluntarily submitted himself to the authorities and remains entitled to fair treatment, dignity, medical care, and access to family and legal representatives under the Nigerian Constitution.
The ADC warned against what it termed “punishment by process” and “intimidation through isolation,” insisting that it would not remain silent while one of its leaders was allegedly subjected to harassment.
The opposition party called on the ICPC to immediately grant unrestricted access to El-Rufai by his family, doctors, lawyers, and political associates.
The ICPC had yet to officially respond to the allegations at the time of filing this report.
