Supporters of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, acting through the El-Rufai Support Group Association (ERSGA), say they have engaged a United States-based lobbying and advocacy firm to run an international campaign regarding el-Rufai’s ongoing prosecution by Nigeria’s Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC). According to ERSGA, the campaign is intended to raise concerns about due process and the rule of law, and to seek attention from U.S. officials and stakeholders. One report says ERSGA appointed the Washington-based advocacy firm Vanguard Africa, with a regulatory filing indicating the firm’s mandate to coordinate outreach to U.S. administration officials, members of Congress, relevant agencies, and pro-democracy and multilateral actors.
ERSGA rejects the ICPC’s allegations, describing what it calls procedural irregularities and dismissing claims of abuse of office, financial impropriety, and fraud. The group says el-Rufai has been detained since February and that bail hearings have been repeatedly delayed.
In response, the ICPC states that its actions, including detention, are lawful. The reports present the campaign as part of a broader concern raised by ERSGA about judicial independence and Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
