By Oscar Okhifo
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of denying former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai, access to medical treatment, arresting his personal physician and assaulting his wife during a visit to the National Hospital, Abuja.
The allegations were contained in a statement issued on Tuesday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who said the incident underscored what he described as an increasing erosion of constitutional rights and the rule of law under the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
According to the ADC, El-Rufai was taken to the National Hospital for medical attention after his health reportedly deteriorated. The party claimed that doctors recommended his admission, but ICPC operatives insisted on returning him to custody.
It further alleged that attempts by El-Rufai’s wife and personal physician to resist the decision resulted in a confrontation during which his wife was assaulted while the doctor was arrested.
“The African Democratic Congress (ADC) is deeply alarmed by reports that today, officials of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) forcefully denied Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai access to medical care, arrested his personal physician and physically assaulted his wife,” the statement read.
The opposition party said the alleged actions had gone beyond legitimate law enforcement and amounted to an attack on constitutional democracy.
“The actions of the ICPC and the Tinubu government have for months now gone beyond the realm of law enforcement. Their actions have become an assault on the Constitution of 200 million Nigerians, on human dignity, and on the most basic principles of justice and human rights.”
The ADC also accused President Tinubu of using state institutions to persecute political opponents, describing El-Rufai as a political prisoner.
“The world should know today that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is holding a political prisoner in Nigeria by the name of Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai.”
The party argued that denying a detainee access to medical care and close family members was inconsistent with democratic norms and contrary to existing court orders granting El-Rufai unrestricted access to his lawyers, physician and relatives.
According to the statement, such actions belong to “authoritarian regimes that use state institutions to break political opponents rather than uphold justice.”
The ADC warned that the matter had implications beyond the former Kaduna governor, saying it raised fundamental questions about the state of Nigeria’s democracy.
“As we have said since this treatment of Mallam El-Rufai began: ‘Today it is El-Rufai. Tomorrow it could be any Nigerian whose only offence is to disagree with those who wield power.'”
The party demanded an explanation from the ICPC over the alleged denial of access to El-Rufai’s doctor and family members, the legal basis for the restrictions imposed on him, and the circumstances surrounding the reported arrest of his physician and the alleged assault on his wife.
It also accused the President of shielding behind anti-corruption agencies while insisting they act independently, arguing that the Constitution ultimately places responsibility for the actions of government institutions on the President.
The ADC called for immediate and unrestricted access for El-Rufai to his wife, children, legal team and personal medical practitioners. It also demanded a review of what it described as punitive bail conditions imposed on the former governor, an end to his alleged harsh detention conditions, full compliance with constitutional and international standards governing the treatment of detainees, greater transparency from the ICPC, and an end to what it termed the use of state institutions for political intimidation and selective justice.
As of the time of filing this report, neither the ICPC nor the Presidency had issued an official response to the allegations contained in the ADC statement.