Former presidential adviser Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed criticizes the continued detention of former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai, describing him as a “political prisoner.” In posts shared on his X account, Baba-Ahmed argues that the situation has moved beyond any state decision to keep El-Rufai in custody without trial or conviction. He says the continued detention undermines confidence in the rule of law and weakens standards of justice and fairness.
Baba-Ahmed contends that detaining El-Rufai without due legal process sends the wrong message about respect for the law. According to the reports, he frames the development as making a “mockery” of rule of law and “all standards of decency,” reiterating that El-Rufai should be seen as a political prisoner.
Both outlets note that his comments follow renewed public appeals connected to the detention. They also reference statements by El-Rufai’s family reminding the Tinubu administration that they believe their treatment is unjust. In particular, the former governor’s first wife, Hajiya Asiya, is reported to have said the family supported the APC during the 2023 elections, and that detaining El-Rufai was not warranted.
