Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has said the recent release of a chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nasir El-Rufai, confirms that his detention was politically motivated.
Operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) had on Wednesday taken El-Rufai into custody shortly after proceedings at the Federal High Court in Kaduna.
The former Kaduna State governor is currently standing trial over alleged corruption charges filed by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The court had earlier adjourned the matter till April 14 for a bail hearing before the DSS reportedly took him into custody.
Reacting, Atiku, through his aide, Paul Ibe, alleged that the development was politically driven.
“After the failure of what they had thought was a gambit in temporarily releasing Mallam Nasir el-Rufai (and the cold shoulder they got trying to lobby him), they’ve now resorted to dragging him all over the place,” the statement read.
“By releasing El-Rufai, they were only confirming what we’ve been saying: Mallam Nasir el-Rufai’s detention and arraignment is politically motivated.
“After all, they did not get the leave of the court before releasing him.
“What is expected of them now is to ensure the permanency of his release.
“As a citizen, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai is entitled to chart his own political course. That is the true essence of democracy,” the statement added.
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