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The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) of preventing its leaders from seeing former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, who is currently being held by the commission in Abuja.
According to a statement released on Friday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, a delegation led by the ADC National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, and ADC Policy Committee Secretary, Salihu Lukman, visited the ICPC headquarters but “were denied access without any reasonable explanation.”
The party also claimed that security around the commission became tense during the visit after “no fewer than three truckloads of armed police officers arrived at the facility.”
The ADC described the deployment as entirely unnecessary and said it gave the impression that authorities feared public reaction over the detention of the former governor.
The statement added that the party had earlier written to ICPC Chairman, Musa Adamu Aliyu, requesting permission to visit El-Rufai following concerns raised by his family.
The party said El-Rufai’s wife, Asia El-Rufai, had earlier alleged that her husband was denied access to his doctor and that she was prevented from bringing food to him while in custody.
The ADC, however, noted that the ICPC had denied the allegations and maintained that proper procedures were followed.
The opposition party insisted that El-Rufai is not a fugitive and said he voluntarily submitted himself to authorities.
The statement further said, “What we are witnessing increasingly appears to be punishment by process, intimidation through isolation, and an attempt to break the spirit of a leading opposition figure.”
The ADC warned that “Nigeria is watching. The international community is watching. The world is watching.
It also demanded that the ICPC grant El-Rufai access to his family, doctors, lawyers, and party leaders.
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