Authoritarian govt – ADC gives Tinubu ultimatum after El-Rufai’s doctor’s arrest

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has accused President Bola Tinubu’s administration of political persecution following the reported arrest of the personal physician of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and the alleged assault on his wife.

In a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, the party alleged that officials of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) prevented El-Rufai from receiving medical treatment at the National Hospital, Abuja, despite medical advice that he should be admitted.

According to the ADC, El-Rufai’s wife and personal physician protested the decision by ICPC officials to return him to custody, leading to a scuffle during which his wife was allegedly assaulted and his doctor arrested.

The opposition party described the development as an abuse of constitutional rights, alleging that the Tinubu administration was using state institutions to target political opponents.

The ADC further claimed that El-Rufai had been denied access to his family and personal physician despite court orders granting him unrestricted access to his lawyers, doctor and family members.

The party called on the ICPC to explain the legal basis for the alleged restrictions imposed on El-Rufai, including the denial of access to his family and doctor, as well as the reported arrest of his physician.

The ADC also urged President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to take responsibility for the actions of the anti-corruption agency, insisting that the President could not distance himself from the matter.

The party demanded immediate and unrestricted access for El-Rufai to his family, legal team and medical practitioners, a review of his bail conditions, improved detention conditions, compliance with constitutional and international standards governing detainees, full transparency from the ICPC on the restrictions imposed on him, and an end to what it described as the use of state institutions for political intimidation.

The ICPC had not publicly responded to the allegations at the time of filing this report.

“The ADC therefore demands the following:

“Immediate and unrestricted access for Mallam El-Rufai to his wife, children, legal team, and personal medical practitioners.

“An urgent review of the punitive and disproportionate bail conditions imposed on Mallam El-Rufai, with a view to ensuring that they conform with the Constitution and the fundamental principle that bail is intended to secure attendance at trial, not to inflict punishment before conviction.

“An immediate end to the harsh, degrading and unnecessarily restrictive conditions under which he is being held and supervised, and his release from what has become a regime of political persecution masquerading as lawful process.

“Full compliance with all constitutional guarantees and internationally recognised standards governing the treatment of persons in custody.

“Complete transparency from the ICPC regarding the legal and factual basis for every restriction imposed on him.

“An immediate end to the use of state institutions as instruments of political intimidation, vendetta and selective justice,” part of the statement read.

Authoritarian govt – ADC gives Tinubu ultimatum after El-Rufai’s doctor’s arrest