The African Democratic Congress has accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of preventing senior party officials from meeting former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, at the agency’s headquarters in Abuja.
The party also alleged that security operatives deployed heavily armed policemen to the premises during the attempted visit, describing the action as intimidation against opposition leaders.
A delegation led by former Osun State Governor and ADC National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, alongside the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, and Secretary of the ADC Policy and Manifesto Committee, Salihu Lukman, said they were denied access to El-Rufai despite prior communication with the anti-graft agency.
Speaking in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday, Abdullahi said the ADC had formally written to the ICPC Chairman, Musa Aliyu, requesting permission to visit El-Rufai over concerns regarding his welfare.
“Earlier today, alongside the National Secretary of our party, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, and the Secretary of the ADC Policy and Manifesto Committee, Mallam Salihu Lukman, we visited the headquarters of the ICPC in Abuja to see Mallam El-Rufai. Despite prior communication and formal requests, we were denied access without any reasonable explanation,” Abdullahi said.
The party further claimed that the atmosphere around the ICPC headquarters became tense shortly after the delegation arrived, alleging that three truckloads of armed police officers were deployed to the facility.
According to the ADC spokesperson, “The heavy deployment, which appeared entirely unnecessary and disproportionate to the peaceful presence of unarmed political leaders, created the unmistakable impression that the authorities feared that the mere presence of opposition leaders at the Commission could trigger public outrage.”
The ADC argued that the development reinforced concerns that state institutions were being used to target opposition figures.
“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 added.
The protest comes amid rising political tension surrounding El-Rufai’s detention and the circumstances of his invitation by the anti-corruption agency.
Although the ICPC has yet to publicly disclose full details of its investigation, El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State and one-time Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has recently emerged as a vocal critic of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the ruling party.
The ADC also referenced claims earlier made by El-Rufai’s wife, Asia El-Rufai, who reportedly alleged that her husband had been denied access to his doctor and prevented from receiving food while in custody.
The party further claimed that family members complained that even court-approved medical access was being delayed through what it described as “administrative obstruction and arbitrary protocols.”
While the ICPC has reportedly denied the allegations and maintained that due process is being followed, the ADC insisted that continued restrictions on access to El-Rufai would only heighten public suspicion.
“Let it be clear, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai is not a fugitive. He voluntarily submitted himself to the authorities. Under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, he is entitled to dignity, medical care, family access, and fair treatment under the law,” Abdullahi stated.
The opposition party accused authorities of engaging in what it described as “punishment by process” and warned that the situation could deepen concerns over the use of anti-corruption agencies for political purposes.
“The ADC will not stand by and watch one of its leaders subjected to this pattern of harassment and calculated humiliation. Nigeria is watching. The international community is watching. The world is watching,” he said.
The party subsequently called on the ICPC to grant El-Rufai unrestricted access to his family, legal team, doctors, and political associates.
“Anything short of this will only reinforce public perception that state institutions are being weaponised against opposition voices,” the statement added.
