The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of orchestrating the continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, to weaken the opposition ahead of the 2027 general election.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, alleged that the Federal Government had no intention of releasing El-Rufai before the elections because of his political influence.

“What I can tell you is that the thinking within the ADC is that the APC government has concluded that they will not release Malam Nasir El-Rufai until after the elections. That’s what we believe.

“That is the plan because they know that with Malam Nasir El-Rufai freed, the opposition is stronger, and they know that if they release him, he is going to remind them of certain things that they would rather forget,” Abdullahi said.

He further claimed that the opposition believes efforts are being made to keep the former governor in custody until after the polls.

Expressing concern over El-Rufai’s health, Abdullahi said reports from his family indicated that doctors at the National Hospital recommended close medical observation due to his deteriorating condition.

“If anything happens to Malam Nasir El-Rufai in detention, President Bola Tinubu will be held personally responsible because the buck stops at his table. We say that there is a political prisoner in Nigeria today, and his name is Malam Nasir El-Rufai,” he said.

Abdullahi maintained that the ADC was not opposed to prosecuting anyone with a legitimate case to answer but questioned the prolonged detention of the former governor despite the charges against him being bailable.

He also alleged that cases against opposition figures were politically motivated and aimed at denying Nigerians credible alternatives ahead of the 2027 elections, describing the administration’s Renewed Hope Agenda as “just a slogan that does not mean anything.”

El-Rufai is facing charges of alleged financial misconduct during his tenure as Kaduna State governor in a case filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) at the Federal High Court. He is also standing trial before the Federal High Court in Abuja over allegations of wiretapping in a separate case instituted by the Department of State Services (DSS).