Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has said the fresh arraignment and detention of the chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Nasir El-Rufai, are politically motivated.
Bellnews reports that operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) on Wednesday took El-Rufai into custody shortly after proceedings at the Federal High Court in Kaduna.
El-Rufai, who is standing trial on alleged corruption charges, had just concluded a hearing on his bail application filed in a case instituted by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission when DSS operatives escorted him into a waiting vehicle and drove him away, reportedly to Abuja.
The court had also adjourned the trial till April 14 for a bail hearing.
However, Atiku, in a statement through his media aide, Paul Ibe, said members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) government failed in their attempt to lobby El-Rufai.
Atiku maintained that El-Rufai is entitled to chart his own political course.
The statement read, “After the failure of what they had thought was a gambit in temporarily releasing Mallam Nasir el-Rufai (and the cold shoulder they got trying to lobby him), they’ve now resorted to dragging him all over the place.
“By releasing @elrufai, they were only confirming what we’ve been saying: Mallam Nasir el-Rufai’s detention and arraignment is politically motivated.
“After all, they did not get the leave of the court before releasing him.
“What is expected of them now, is to ensure the permanency of his release.
“As a citizen, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai is entitled to chart his own political course. That is the true essence of democracy.”