Nigeria Democratic Congress presidential candidate Peter Obi has called for fair, transparent treatment of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El Rufai, warning that any perception of selective justice risks undermining public confidence in the country’s democratic institutions.
Speaking from the United States, Obi said he was emotionally moved after watching a viral video of El Rufai’s wife, Asiya El Rufai, describing distress over how her husband has reportedly been treated, prompting a broader reflection on the state of the nation, which he shared in a post on X titled A Wife’s Tears, A Nation’s Conscience: Let Justice Have a Heart. He argued that democracy can only thrive where the rule of law applies equally to everyone, and that regardless of the allegations against El Rufai or any other Nigerian, the justice system must remain transparent, impartial and consistent with due process, insisting that while law enforcement has a constitutional duty to investigate and prosecute alleged offences, it must exercise that power professionally, without actions that amount to punishment before conviction.
Obi said bail conditions imposed on suspects should be reasonable rather than functioning as pre trial sanctions capable of eroding confidence in the judicial process, cautioning against any hint of selective justice that could weaken public trust and threaten national cohesion, and urged security agencies and other law enforcement institutions to discharge their duties strictly according to due process and constitutional safeguards. Nigeria’s progress, he argued, depends on building institutions that treat every citizen equally regardless of political affiliation, ethnicity or social status, closing with an appeal for a Nigeria where the law is paramount and every citizen is guaranteed dignity and justice, calling that the foundation of the new Nigeria he envisions.
