The Labour Party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 election, Peter Obi, has described the detention and trial of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as political persecution.
Speaking in Kaduna at a stakeholders’ meeting of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Obi said El-Rufai was being treated like a fugitive despite returning to the country voluntarily from Egypt.
The former Anambra State governor said the law requires that anyone accused of a crime be treated with dignity until 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 invite someone, and he returns to the country on his own, yet you treat him as if he was on the run?
“Let the law take its course. I have said it, written about it, and I will continue to say so.”
Obi and El-Rufai recently joined the ADC alongside other defectors seeking to unseat the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027. In 2023, the former minister was one of Obi’s fiercest critics.
El-Rufai’s Arrest
Pinnacle Daily reports that on February 12, a brief moment of tension unfolded at Abuja’s Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport as security personnel tried to detain El-Rufai upon his return from Cairo.
Muyiwa Adekeye, his media aide, said operatives approached him shortly after he disembarked, but he declined to go with them because there was no formal invitation.
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On February 16, El-Rufai voluntarily presented himself at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
He has remained in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) since February 19, after being released by the EFCC.
On March 5, a magistrate court extended his remand by another 14 days after the expiration of the initial 14 days granted to him on February 19, 2026.
There have been growing calls for the commission to either release him or formally arraign him.
El-Rufai also filed a fundamental rights suit at the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging the search of his residence by the ICPC and the remand order issued on February 19.
On Tuesday morning, he arrived at the Federal High Court in Kaduna for his arraignment.
Rafiyat Sadiq is a political, justice, and human rights reporter with Pinnacle Daily, known for fearless reporting and impactful storytelling. At Pinnacle Daily, she brings clarity and depth to issues shaping governance, democracy, and the protection of citizens’ rights.
