Former vice president and 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has disclosed that efforts are underway to secure the release of former governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna state from the detention.
This was just as Atiku said members of his team had maintained contact with the detained former governor and were also providing support to his family amid his ongoing legal battle with the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
“We are doing everything we can to see that El-Rufai is released. We visit him, send messages to him, and he also sends messages to us. We are also supporting his family,” Atiku said.
El-Rufai is being prosecuted before the Federal High Court in Abuja by the ICPC over allegations bordering on abuse of office, financial impropriety and fraud allegedly committed during his tenure as Kaduna governor.
The former governor has denied wrongdoing and recently instituted a fresh N10 billion suit against the anti-graft agency over alleged restrictions on his access to members of his family while in custody.
In the suit filed by his lawyer, Ubong Akpan, El-Rufai named the ICPC chairman and the Attorney-General of the Federation as second and third defendants respectively.
The suit, marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1852/2026 and filed on August 13, seeks nine reliefs, including declarations that his fundamental rights guaranteed under Part IV of the 1999 Constitution remain enforceable despite his detention.
El-Rufai also alleged that he had repeatedly been prevented from receiving visits from his wife, Aichatou Asabe, and his son, Abba El-Rufai.
He argued that the alleged denial of access to his family, particularly where such visits were necessary to provide him with food, medication and other necessities, amounted to a breach of his constitutional rights.
Meanwhile, Atiku has also unveiled his position on one of the major economic policies of the Bola Tinubu administration, pledging to restore the petrol subsidy if elected president in 2027.
The former vice president said the removal of the subsidy had failed to translate into tangible benefits for Nigerians, despite the economic hardship that followed the policy.
Tinubu announced the removal of the subsidy during his inauguration speech in May 2023, a decision that triggered a sharp rise in petrol prices and contributed to increased costs of transportation, food and other essential goods.
The Federal Government has, however, maintained that the removal has freed resources for increased allocations to state governments and enabled investments in infrastructure and other sectors.
Atiku, who said he had initially not opposed the removal of the subsidy, questioned how the savings from the policy had been utilised.
“I initially did not oppose the removal of the fuel subsidy. But now that it has been removed, where is the money? Where has the subsidy money gone? Has it been used to improve healthcare, education or security?” he asked.
He subsequently pledged to reverse the policy if elected president.
“If I win the presidential election, I will restore the subsidy. And anyone who stole Nigeria’s subsidy funds must return the money,” Atiku added.
