The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has raised allegations of double standards against the Tinubu administration over how it is handling legal proceedings involving former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai and ex-Attorney General of the Federation Abubakar Malami.
The party argued that the pattern of arrests, transfers between agencies, and the overall tempo of actions taken against the two men have sparked widespread public questions about whether legal processes are being applied consistently regardless of political affiliation. ADC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullahi, in a statement released yesterday, said the party has been keeping a close eye on how cases involving its members are unfolding.
According to Abdullahi, the ADC holds firmly that no individual — irrespective of their former rank or prominence — stands above the law. However, the party insists that this principle cuts both ways, and that justice cannot be credible if it appears to be administered selectively or with political motivation. He stressed that in cases like those of Malami and El-Rufai, the manner and pace of enforcement have rightly drawn public scrutiny.
The statement further underscored that both men retain a constitutional presumption of innocence until a competent court rules otherwise — a right the party described not as a gesture of goodwill, but as a fundamental legal guarantee.
The ADC also took issue with the repeated transfer of both individuals between different law enforcement agencies while investigations remain apparently incomplete, arguing that in a properly functioning democracy, detention should follow well-grounded charges rather than appear to function as punishment before any trial has begun. The party called on authorities to either bring transparent prosecutions backed by solid evidence or allow due process to run its proper course.
Drawing a contrast, the ADC pointed to a separate high-profile case involving passport forgery, international conspiracy, and impersonation, where the accused were granted bail and the matter is advancing through the courts at a notably faster pace. The party argued that such disparities go beyond procedural technicalities, touching directly on the country’s institutional integrity and its standing in the international community.
