The African Democratic Congress has declared former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai a prisoner of conscience and called for his immediate release, as the party’s 101st National Executive Committee meeting took a series of decisions to prepare for the 2027 general elections.

The declaration was contained in a communiqué signed by ADC National Publicity Secretary Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi at the end of the NEC meeting, which also approved the ratification of the party’s primary elections, extended the tenure of its National Working Committee by 12 months from the expiry of its current mandate, and constituted caretaker committees at the zonal, state, local government, and ward levels for a period of one year.

The NEC approved the results of all recently conducted primaries for state houses of assembly, the National Assembly, state governorships, and the presidential election, excluding contests with pending appeals as at May 29, 2026, and those yet to be concluded.

El-Rufai has been held in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, with the ADC leadership repeatedly seeking access to the former governor and accusing the ICPC of restricting visits beyond what the applicable court order required.