Former spokesman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Comrade Timi Frank, has cautioned against an alleged plot by some intelligence operatives to take former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai, into custody from the Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday.
Frank, in a statement issued in the early hours of Monday, said he received information from sources alleging that the operatives might attempt to arrest el-Rufai when he appears before Justice M.B. Idris of the Federal High Court.
"Pursuant to what appears to be a grand plan by the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to politically eliminate Mallam Nasir el-Rufai, I have been reliably informed that plans have allegedly been concluded ... to forcefully take him into custody today from the Federal High Court, Abuja, where he is meant to appear," Frank said.
He alleged that such a move would contradict existing court orders directing that el-Rufai remain in the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) pending the determination of matters before the court, and that security operatives had met the previous night to finalise arrangements for the alleged plot.
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Frank also expressed fears that should any attempt to silence el-Rufai fail, the fallback plan might be to keep the former governor in prolonged detention until after the 2027 elections.
Frank said it was unfortunate that the Kaduna State Governor, Uba Sani, once known as a civil rights activist, now appeared associated with actions many considered inconsistent with the rule of law.
The political activist, who serves as the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and the Middle East, warned that any attempt to forcibly remove el-Rufai from court premises in defiance of subsisting court orders would amount to an assault on the rule of law, and called on civil society organisations, northern leaders, religious groups and the international community to closely monitor developments surrounding the case.
"This is the time for Nigerians, northern leaders, civil society groups, religious leaders, and all lovers of justice and democracy to rise in one voice against oppression and selective justice," he said.
Frank invoked the famous warning by German pastor Martin Niemöller about the dangers of silence in the face of injustice, and questioned whether el-Rufai was being singled out among former governors currently facing scrutiny.
While stating his support for anti-corruption efforts, he insisted such efforts must be conducted within the bounds of fairness and due process, free from political persecution.
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"If anything happens to el-Rufai, Governor Uba Sani and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must be held responsible. The President, the security agencies, and the Kaduna State Government must remember that power is transient and nothing lasts forever," he declared.
