Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, has urged opposition leaders to be unified and committed to overthrowing President Bola Tinubu in the general elections scheduled for 2027.
When former Vice President Atiku Abubakar paid him a visit following an alleged attempt by security personnel to arrest him at an airport, El-Rufai made the statement.
El-Rufai claimed that the experience had made him more determined to oppose the current government.
“What happened today has made me more determined,” he said. Until this regime is overthrown in March 2027, we must continue working nonstop.
He called the airport encounter regrettable, needless, and potentially illegal.
He asserted that he was detained without a formal invitation by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) using Department of State Services (DSS) agents.
El-Rufai clarified that he had already received an invitation to be questioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He claimed to have been abroad at the time, though. He stated that his attorney told the commission he would come back and show up at their office on Monday at 10 a.m.
He said that prior to the airport incident, he had never received a letter or message from the ICPC.
“I would have honored a letter of invitation, which was all I asked for,” he stated.
The former governor further claimed that Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Advisor, gave the ICPC orders. He charged that security agencies were being utilized by the government for political ends.
He claims that a government that is afraid of losing reelection is using security agencies as partisan political tools.
He cautioned that such acts might erode the rule of law and democratic institutions.
El-Rufai insisted that proper process must be followed but that he is prepared to accept any legitimate invitation from anti-corruption organizations.
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