A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dele Momodu, has described former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as a “prisoner of conscience”, while defending his inclusion in the party’s presidential campaign council.
El-Rufai was named Deputy Chairman of the ADC campaign council despite being in detention, a development that has raised questions about the former governor’s role in the opposition party’s campaign structure.
Speaking on the composition of the council in a Friday interview on Channels Television’s Breakfast programme Morning Brief, Momodu said El-Rufai’s inclusion was a way of recognising what he described as the former governor’s political sacrifice.
“It is a way of honouring his sacrifice because his travails, I can say, are quite political in nature,” Momodu said.
“But I am very happy that ADC found it necessary to put him on that list.”
The party chieftain went further to describe El-Rufai as a “prisoner of conscience”, alleging that his detention was politically motivated.
“That is why Nasiru has become a prisoner of conscience.”
Momodu argued that El-Rufai’s current predicament should be viewed against his previous political contributions, particularly his role in the political process that brought the present administration to power.
“He is in the hands of a government that he helped to midwife”
“He could have stayed away from the country. He chose to come back to the country. He knew he was going to be arrested, and he was arrested,” he said.
Formidable Figure
Momodu maintained that El-Rufai remained an influential political figure in Northern Nigeria, particularly the Northwest, despite the controversies surrounding his tenure as Kaduna governor.
“Our attitude [is] that no human being, no soul, is perfect, but Malam Nasiru El-Rufai remains one of the most formidable political figures from Northern Nigeria, especially the Northwest,” he said.
Responding to concerns that El-Rufai’s inclusion could become a liability for the ADC, Momodu pointed to the former governor’s previous support for President Bola Tinubu during the 2023 presidential campaign.
“Nearly four years ago or less, Malam Nasiru El-Rufai was busy campaigning for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. So was he not in government then? Did they find him divisive at the time?”
“Every presidential candidate wants to win in the Northwest, because without the Northwest, there is no way you can win the election. The majority of the votes will come from that direction,” he said.
He said the ADC’s decision to appoint El-Rufai was significant regardless of whether he could participate directly in the campaign.
“What he has done is to at least dignify the man with an appointment. Whether he is able to attend to it or not is immaterial,” Momodu said.
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