The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has criticised what it described as selective enforcement of the law in the handling of legal cases involving two of its prominent members, insisting that justice must be applied evenly 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 monitoring the ongoing cases involving former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai.
“The African Democratic Congress, ADC, has been monitoring the ongoing legal cases involving two of our leaders, Mr Abubakar Malami… and Mallam Nasir El-Rufai,” the statement read.
The party stressed that no citizen is above the law but raised concerns about what it termed inconsistencies in the manner and speed 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.
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The ADC referenced what it described as a recent high-profile case involving allegations of passport forgery, international conspiracy and impersonation, noting that the accused persons in that matter were granted bail and are standing trial.
According to the party, it contrasted this with what it called “prolonged custodial movements, inter-agency transfers, and processes that appear to precede, rather than follow, fully crystallised prosecution” in the cases of Malami and El-Rufai.
The party added, “Abubakar Malami and Nasir El-Rufai are first citizens of Nigeria before they are opposition leaders… They are therefore presumed innocent under the Constitution until proven otherwise in a fair and competent court of law.”
“We will continue to stand by our members as they assert their legal rights. We will ensure that they are not isolated, intimidated, or denied the protections that every Nigerian citizen is entitled to under the law. We will never abandon our people in moments of trial.”
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 including the alleged improper use of approximately ₦800 billion in recovered funds.
The matter has been adjourned to March 6, 2026 for the hearing of their bail applications.
El-Rufai, on his part, 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 troubles escalated following a February interview in which he admitted to phone-tapping National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu.
The ICPC is also probing alleged financial improprieties during his time in office between 2015 and 2023.
The former governor has filed a ₦1 billion fundamental rights enforcement suit against the ICPC, challenging what he described as an unlawful invasion of his Abuja residence on February 19.
