Nigeria must reject lawlessness, says El-Rufai after Abuja airport incident
By Jeffrey Agbo
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has criticised what he described as an unlawful move to detain him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, following his return from Cairo, Egypt.
In a statement issued on Thursday by his lawyers, El-Rufai said the incident reflects a troubling pattern of executive overreach and a conscious erosion of the rule of law in the country.
According to the statement, El-Rufai maintained that no valid legal basis was provided for the attempted arrest, warning that such actions undermine democratic norms and constitutional safeguards.
“My lawyers have issued a statement that condemns the illegal attempt to arrest me today at the Abuja airport upon my arrival from Cairo,” he said.
“Our country must outgrow executive overreach and deliberate disregard for the rule of law.”
El-Rufai earlier announced that he could be arrested by the Federal Government, claiming that recent developments indicate he may be the next target.
El-Rufai made the allegation during an interview with BBC Hausa, expressing concerns over what he described as growing political intimidation against opposition figures.
The former governor, who earlier left the ruling All Progressives Congress and is now a member of the African Democratic Congress, said some of his close associates had already been detained.
“Four people we worked together in Kaduna have been arrested; so it’s only a matter of time before they come for me too,” he said.
El-Rufai suggested that the arrests of his associates signalled possible action against him.
He further alleged that political pressure was being mounted on politicians to either defect to the APC or remain within the ruling party.
According to him, the current political climate was forcing individuals to make decisions, not out of conviction but survival.
El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna State for eight years under the APC platform, has in recent times intensified his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the party’s leadership.
His comments come amid the arrest and ongoing trial of a former Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami.
