ADC Condemns Attempted Arrest of El-Rufai, Warns Against Political Intimidation
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly condemned the alleged attempt by security operatives to arrest former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, describing the incident as a troubling sign of rising political intimidation and a threat to Nigeria’s democratic norms.
In a statement issued on Friday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, warned that such actions, if left unchecked, could deepen political tensions and undermine public confidence in the rule of law and constitutional governance.
Tension reportedly erupted at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja on Thursday after an alleged failed attempt by security operatives to detain the former governor.
Eyewitnesses claimed that armed personnel approached El-Rufai shortly after his arrival and attempted to escort him away, sparking a standoff.
Reports indicate that operatives lay in wait for the politician with the apparent intention to effect an arrest, yet no warrant was presented at the time of the action.
Reacting to the development, the ADC criticized what it termed “selective enforcement” in the anti-corruption campaign.
The party argued that while it maintains that no individual is above the law, the legal system must never be weaponized against political opponents.
“What Nigerians are witnessing is increasingly difficult to separate from a broader and troubling pattern of pressure and selective enforcement directed at opposition voices under the watch of the APC-led administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the statement read.
The party expressed concern over the “widening perception” that opposition figures are aggressively pursued while individuals with pending corruption allegations are welcomed into the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) “with pomp and pageantry.”
The ADC argued that such selective accountability weakens the government’s moral credibility.
“The APC-led government of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must understand that the strength of a democracy is measured not by how it treats its allies, but by how it treats its critics.
“Nigeria has come too far, and sacrificed too much, to permit any slide toward the normalization of political intimidation,” Abdullahi stated.
The party called on all security and law enforcement agencies to remain professional and avoid being used for partisan ends, vowing to monitor developments closely and act wherever democratic norms are threatened.
