Opposition leaders have been urged by former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai to stay unified and committed to overthrowing President Bola Tinubu in the general elections scheduled for 2027.
After security personnel allegedly tried to arrest him at an airport, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar paid him a visit, during which El-Rufai made the statement.
According to El-Rufai, the experience made him more determined to oppose the current government.
“What transpired today has strengthened my resolve,” he said. Until we oust this government from power in March 2027, we must continue working nonstop.
He called the confrontation at the airport regrettable, needless, and potentially illegal.
He said that without formally inviting him, the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) detained him using Department of State Services (DSS) agents.
According to El-Rufai, he had previously been invited to be questioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). But he said that at the time, he was abroad. He added that he will return and show up to the commission’s office on Monday at 10 a.m., as his lawyer had told them.
Prior to the airport incident, he maintained that he had never received a letter or message from the ICPC.
“I only requested a letter of invitation, and I would have accepted it,” he stated.
The former governor further claimed that Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Advisor, gave the ICPC orders. He charged that the administration was utilizing security forces for political ends.
He said a government wary of losing reelection is using security institutions as partisan political pawns.
He cautioned that the rule of law and democratic institutions might be weakened by such acts.
Due process must be followed, but El-Rufai insisted that he is prepared to accept any legitimate offer from anti-corruption organizations.
