The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has accused the administration of Bola Tinubu of practising selective justice in its handling of legal cases involving former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, and former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.
The opposition party said the sequence of arrests, transfers between security agencies, and the speed of proceedings against the two politicians have sparked widespread concerns about whether the rule of law is being applied impartially.
In a statement issued on Tuesday , ADC National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, said the party had been closely monitoring developments surrounding the cases involving its members.
According to him, while the ADC believes that no citizen is above the law, justice must be administered fairly and without political bias.
“In a constitutional democracy, where the law appears to operate selectively, it becomes necessary to insist that justice be applied evenly, transparently, and without political considerations,” Abdullahi said.
He noted that the rapid movement of Malami and El-Rufai from the custody of one law enforcement agency to another, while investigations are still ongoing, has raised serious public concerns.
“In a system governed by the rule of law, detention should follow properly filed and credible charges, not precede them in a way that suggests pre-trial punishment,” he stated.
The party urged authorities to prosecute the former officials transparently if there is credible evidence against them, adding that the courts should be allowed to determine their guilt or innocence.
The ADC also referenced what it described as a contrasting high-profile case involving allegations of passport forgery, international conspiracy, and impersonation, where the defendants were granted bail and court proceedings are advancing swiftly.
It stressed that under the Constitution, all accused persons are presumed innocent until proven guilty by a competent court of law, warning that such constitutional guarantees must not be treated as mere formalities.
“We will continue to stand by our members as they pursue their legal rights. They must not be isolated, intimidated, or denied the protections guaranteed to every Nigerian under the law,” the party added.
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