The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has strongly condemned the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) following the arrest of Professor Bello Abubakar, the personal physician to the detained former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai.
The opposition party also accused the anti-graft agency of assaulting the former governor’s wife, Asia El-Rufai, during a confrontation at the National Hospital in Abuja.
In a statement issued on Tuesday by the ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the party accused the ICPC of denying El-Rufai access to critical medical care and flagrantly violating his constitutional rights.
According to the ADC, El-Rufai had been taken to the National Hospital for treatment, where medical doctors reportedly recommended his immediate admission due to his failing health. The party claimed that ICPC operatives disregarded the medical advice and insisted on returning him to custody, sparking a heated standoff.
”Information reaching us is that El-Rufai was billed for treatment at the National Hospital in Abuja today,” Abdullahi stated. “But against the hospital’s advice that he would require hospitalisation in view of his failing health, officials of the ICPC insisted on returning him into custody. Protests by his personal physician and his wife led to scuffles during which his wife was assaulted and the doctor subsequently arrested.”
The ADC went further to label the anti-graft agency’s actions as political persecution rather than legitimate law enforcement, calling on the international community to intervene.
”The world should know today that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is holding a political prisoner in Nigeria by the name of Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai,” the statement continued. “Such conduct belongs to authoritarian regimes that use state institutions to break political opponents rather than to uphold justice.”
In a swift reaction, the ICPC defended its actions, stating that Professor Abubakar was arrested for making false statements. The commission countered the ADC’s narrative, claiming that El-Rufai and his family had abused the court-approved medical visit to conduct political meetings rather than undergo medical consultation.
According to a statement by ICPC spokesperson John Odey, the Kaduna State High Court had scheduled accelerated hearings for criminal charges against El-Rufai, which the former governor failed to attend after requesting to see his physician. The commission stated that it granted the hospital visit in line with humanitarian protocols but discovered that the private consultation room was used to host political associates.
The ICPC cited photographs posted on social media by a political associate, Isa Ashiru Kudan, showing El-Rufai meeting with visitors in the hospital wing.
The incident marks a significant escalation in the ongoing legal and political battle surrounding the former Kaduna State governor. The ADC has previously accused the federal government of weaponising state institutions to stifle opposition figures, pointing to prior incidents where party leaders were allegedly blocked from visiting El-Rufai in detention.
The Kaduna State High Court has adjourned proceedings until mid-July to hear pending applications regarding the case, while the personal physician remains in custody for further investigation.
