The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused authorities of selective enforcement in the handling of legal cases involving two of its senior members, warning that justice must be applied fairly and without political bias.
In a statement posted on X on Tuesday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the ADC had been closely monitoring the cases involving former Attorney-General of the Federation Abubakar Malami and former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
“The African Democratic Congress has been monitoring the ongoing legal cases involving two of our leaders, Mr Abubakar Malami and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai,” the statement said.
While stressing that no citizen is above the law, the party raised concerns about what it described as inconsistencies in the speed and manner of enforcement actions.
“As a law-abiding party, it is important to state for the record that the ADC believes no citizen, regardless of stature or past office, is above the law,” Abdullahi said.
“However, in a constitutional democracy where the law is seen to operate selectively, it becomes imperative to insist that justice must be applied evenly, transparently and without political calculation,” he added.
The ADC referenced a recent high-profile case involving allegations of passport forgery, international conspiracy and impersonation, noting that the accused persons were granted bail and are currently standing trial. It contrasted this with what it described as “prolonged custodial movements, inter-agency transfers and processes that appear to precede, rather than follow, fully crystallised prosecution” in the cases involving Malami and El-Rufai.
“Abubakar Malami and Nasir El-Rufai are first citizens of Nigeria before they are opposition leaders,” the party stated. “They are therefore presumed innocent under the Constitution until proven otherwise in a fair and competent court of law.”
The ADC pledged to stand by its members as they pursue their legal rights, insisting they would not be “isolated, intimidated or denied the protections that every Nigerian citizen is entitled to under the law.”
Malami is currently in custody over allegations of money laundering and financial impropriety during his tenure. On February 27, 2026, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court ordered that he and his son, Abdulaziz, be remanded in Kuje Correctional Centre, while his wife, Asabe, was remanded in Suleja Correctional Centre.
They pleaded not guilty to charges that include the alleged improper use of approximately ₦800 billion in recovered funds. The case has been adjourned to March 6, 2026, for the hearing of their bail applications.
El-Rufai is under investigation by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and the Department of State Services.
His legal challenges intensified after a February interview in which he admitted to phone-tapping National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. The ICPC is also investigating alleged financial improprieties during his tenure as governor between 2015 and 2023.
The former governor has filed a ₦1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the ICPC, alleging an unlawful invasion of his Abuja residence on February 19. The hearing was adjourned to March 11, 2026, after his legal team failed to serve the respondents.
