The continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has taken a fresh political dimension, with his wife and lawyer, Asia El-Rufai, questioning whether his prosecution is being influenced by his emergence as a prominent figure in the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.

Asia raised the concern in a documentary released by the Justice For El-Rufai Project, arguing that the allegations against her husband became prominent only after he left the All Progressives Congress (APC) and became involved in opposition political activities.

“Before he left APC, he wasn’t accused of anything. When he left APC and joined SDP, there were questions, there were threats that we know. And then, when finally he was able to work on the coalition, the charges came,” she said.

Her comments come amid prolonged legal proceedings against the former governor, who has pleaded not guilty to the allegations against him. El-Rufai has also challenged his continued custody and sought bail in the various cases.

Asia argued that the offences for which her husband is being prosecuted are bailable, questioning why he should remain in custody for an extended period while his trial continues.

“He was kept for a long time before he was taken to court. The offenses that they listed out as his offenses are bailable offenses,” she said, insisting that the constitutional presumption of innocence should be respected.

Her central argument was that bail should not be treated as a concession to an accused person. “The Supreme Court was very clear, and even the Nigerian Constitution is quite clear, that bail is not a privilege; it is a right,” she said.

El-Rufai’s prolonged custody has already generated wider debate over the balance between criminal prosecution and the rights of an accused person. In May, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted him bail in the separate phone-tapping case, although he remained in custody after failing to satisfy the conditions attached to the order. (Premium Times⁠)

The court subsequently declined his request to vary some of the bail conditions, while the Department of State Services later closed its case in the wiretapping proceedings. The matter was adjourned to September 22 for the defence’s no-case submission. (Blueprint Newspapers Limited⁠)

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC), which is prosecuting El-Rufai in another case, has maintained that his detention was authorised by court orders and that it has acted within the law. (ICPC⁠)

El-Rufai left the APC for the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and subsequently became associated with the opposition coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC). His wife and supporters have linked the prosecution to his political activities, while the authorities maintain that the cases are criminal proceedings to be determined by the courts.