Okonkwo Lambasts Tinubu’s Administration Over Continued Detention of El-Rufai

Kenneth Okonkwo, a lawyer and chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Friday lambasted President Bola Tinubu’s administration over the continued detention of the immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, news.ng reports.

Okonkwo, in an interview on Channels Television, said El-Rufai’s continued detention by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) contravenes the former governor’s constitutional rights.

According to him, El-Rufai is being targeted by the anti-graft agency because he joined the ADC.

He asserted that no individual, under the constitution, should be detained for more than 48 hours without bail.

He said, “I think principles is still in detention 48 hours is what a government has to keep anybody in detention without granting him bail. No, you don’t have that power and you don’t have the power according to Supreme Court judgement to keep somebody in detention and pretend you are investigating.”

Okonkwo questioned the rationale behind El-Rufai’s arrest without the agency conducting a proper investigation before his arrest.

Okonkwo, a former Nollywood actor turned politician, argued that offences should be established based on investigation and evidence against the accused.

Recall that on February 16, 2026, the Department of State Services (DSS) filed a three-count charge against El-Rufai before the Federal High Court in Abuja, Nigeria’s capital. He was accused of unlawfully intercepting the phone of the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu.

“That somebody said anything does not give you the right to go and arrest somebody because in criminal proceeding, it is the duty of the prosecution to prove the guilt of the suspect, not the suspect to defend his innocence,” Okonkwo noted.

He insisted that El-Rufai’s fundamental human rights must be protected.

According to him, El-Rufai’s detention is politically motivated, adding that the security agencies receive orders from the president to go after members of the opposition.

“He is being persecuted because he has joined ABC and we are not exculpating anybody, but it is the court of law that should decide, not the gulag of president,” he said.

He called on the authorities to abide by the constitution.

He said, “That’s why I’m not saying that Arafat should not be tried by the courts. The courts are the only power that has the power to deliver judgement… If Arafat committed any crime, please bring him to trial, grant him bail, so that if he’s convicted, fine, nobody in ADC is quarrelling against rule of law.”National News…