I’m more determined to remove Tinubu from office in 2027 — El-Rufai

Nasir El-Rufai, a former governor of Kaduna State, has urged opposition leaders to be unified and committed to overthrowing President Bola Tinubu in the general elections scheduled for 2027.

When El-Rufai was visited by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar following a purported effort by security personnel to detain him at an airport, he made the statement.

El-Rufai claimed that the event had made him more determined to oppose the current government.

“What happened today has made me more determined,” he said. Until we oust this government from office in March 2027, we must continue working nonstop.

He said the incident at the airport was regrettable, needless, and potentially illegal.

He said he was detained without a formal invitation by the Independent Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) using Department of State Services (DSS) agents.

El-Rufai clarified that he has previously been asked to be questioned by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC). He claimed, nonetheless, that during the time he was abroad. He stated that his attorney had told the commission that he would come back and show up at their office on Monday at 10 a.m.

He maintained that prior to the incident at the airport, he had never received a letter or message from the ICPC.

“I would have honored a letter of invitation, which was all I asked for,” he stated.

The former governor further claimed that Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser, gave the ICPC orders. He said that security agencies were being utilized by the government for political ends.

He said a government that is afraid of losing reelection is using security agencies as partisan political tools.

He cautioned that such measures might erode the rule of law and democratic institutions.

Although he insisted that proper process must be followed, El-Rufai stated that he is prepared to accept any legitimate invitation from anti-corruption organizations.