By Achile Danjuma
The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the administration of President Bola Tinubu of applying justice selectively, pointing to the recent detention and transfer of two prominent opposition figures as evidence of a “political calculation” by the executive branch.
In a strongly worded press statement issued on Tuesday, the party drew a sharp contrast between the treatment of former Kaduna State Governor Mallam Nasir El-Rufai and former Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami (SAN) and the handling of another high-profile case involving allegations of passport forgery.
The ADC National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, alleged that the “manner, speed, and sequence of enforcement actions” against the two party leaders have raised serious public concern regarding consistency and fairness.
“The movement of Malami and El-Rufai from the custody of one law enforcement agency to another, in rapid succession, while investigations appear ongoing, has raised profound public concern,” the statement read.
“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?”
While affirming that the ADC believes no citizen is above the law, Abdullahi insisted that in a democracy, “custody must follow credible, well-prepared charges, not precede them.”
The party contrasted the situation with a recent case involving “grave allegations of passport forgery, international conspiracy, and impersonation.”
Abdullahi noted that in that instance, the accused were granted bail, and the proceedings are moving swiftly before the court—a pace he suggested has not been applied to the cases involving the ADC members.
The ADC demanded immediate clarification from authorities regarding the status of the investigations into El-Rufai and Malami. The party called for strict adherence to constitutional safeguards against arbitrary detention and insisted on the “equal application of the law without discrimination based on political alignment.”
Abdullahi reaffirmed the party’s support for its members, stating, “We will never abandon our people in moments of trial. We will never leave any of our members behind. To stand by them is not to obstruct justice, it is to insist that justice be done properly.”