ADC accuses ICPC of blocking leaders from seeing El-Rufai

The African Democratic Congress has accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission of preventing its leaders from gaining access to former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who is currently in the custody of the anti-graft agency.

The opposition party also alleged that the anti-graft agency deployed three truckloads of armed police officers at its Abuja headquarters on Friday to prevent senior members of the party from visiting the former governor.

In a statement issued on Friday by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party said its National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, alongside Abdullahi and the secretary of the party’s Policy and Manifesto Committee, Salihu Lukman, visited the headquarters of the ICPC to see El-Rufai.

According to the statement, the party had communicated formally with the commission ahead of the visit but was denied access to the former governor “without any reasonable explanation.”

The ADC further claimed that the atmosphere at the ICPC premises became tense after three truckloads of armed police officers arrived at the facility while the party leaders awaited a response to their request.

The party described the deployment as unnecessary and disproportionate, insisting that the delegation was peaceful and unarmed.

“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.

“While we were at the premises awaiting a response to our request, the atmosphere suddenly became noticeably tense after no fewer than three truckloads of armed police officers arrived at the facility.

“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 party lamented what it described as unprofessional conduct by the ICPC, maintaining that the commission’s action confirmed the impression that public institutions are being used against 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.

“At no point did members of our delegation threaten disorder, incite confrontation, or mobilise supporters to the premises. Yet the response of the state suggested panic, fear, and an attempt to intimidate not only our party leaders, but also any Nigerian who may dare to question the treatment being meted out to opposition figures.

“Such actions only reinforce growing public concern that state institutions are increasingly being used, not merely for law enforcement, but as instruments of political pressure and psychological intimidation against dissenting voices,” the party said.

The ADC maintained that El-Rufai voluntarily submitted himself to the authorities and was entitled to dignity, medical care, family access and fair treatment under the law.

The party warned against what it described as “harassment and calculated humiliation” of one of its leaders and demanded that the ICPC immediately grant unrestricted access to El-Rufai by his family, doctors, lawyers and party officials.

El-Rufai’s son, Bello, had last week in a post on X accused the anti-graft agency of denying his father access to medical and family care while in detention.

Bello alleged that ICPC officials prevented El-Rufai’s personal doctor from meeting him at the agency’s detention facility despite a court order granting the former governor unrestricted access to his doctors.(Punch)