The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Tuesday accused the Federal Government of selective justice, vowing to stand by former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai; former Attorney-General of the Federation (AGF), Abubakar Malami (SAN) and any of its members.
el-Rufai and Malami are on trial over alleged financial sleaze, wiretapping and monumental misappropriation of public funds.
In a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, ADC expressed concern that its members were being treated differently from those in other high-profile cases involving allegations of passport forgery and international conspiracy.
The party justified its allegations of selective justice, arguing that those involved in equally serious crimes were granted bail and that proceedings moved swiftly.
The statement reads: “The ADC has been monitoring the ongoing legal cases involving two of our leaders, Malami from Kebbi State and el-Rufai from Kaduna.
“As a law-abiding party, it is important to state for the record that the ADC believes that no citizen, regardless of stature or past office, is above the law. However, in a constitutional democracy where the law is seen to operate selectively, it becomes imperative to insist, firmly and without apology, that justice must be applied evenly, transparently and without political calculation, particularly in cases such as those involving Malami and el-Rufai, where the manner, speed and sequence of enforcement have understandably raised serious public concern about consistency and fairness.”
ADC said the movement of Malami and el-Rufai from the custody of one law enforcement agency to another, in rapid succession, while investigations appear ongoing, raised profound public concern
“When a citizen is transferred from one detention facility to another before investigations are demonstrably concluded, it inevitably begs the question: is detention being used as an investigative shortcut, or as an instrument of pressure to keep these opposition leaders out of circulation? In a democracy that is supposed to be governed by the rule of law, custody must follow credible, well-prepared charges, not precede them in a manner that creates the appearance of pre-trial punishment,” the party added.
ADC called for immediate public clarification from the relevant authorities on the precise status and stage of investigations concerning Malami and el-Rufai, strict adherence to constitutional safeguards protecting against arbitrary or prolonged detention, transparent and time-bound prosecution of any charge supported by credible evidence, and equal application of the law without discrimination based on political alignment.
