APC's Onoh Appeals to Tinubu for El-Rufai's Clemency

Denge Josef Onoh, the former Southeast spokesman of the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to intervene in the legal issues surrounding former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai. In an open letter dated September 24, 2026, addressed to Tinubu through Chief of Staff Femi Gbajabiamila, Onoh urged the President to consider granting El-Rufai clemency amid his ongoing criminal trial in Abuja for allegations of unlawful interception of telephone communications.

The court is set to rule on El-Rufai's no-case submission on October 26. Onoh highlighted El-Rufai's significant role in the APC's success and Tinubu's election as President in 2023, describing him as a strong-willed politician.

He expressed concern over the silence of El-Rufai's former allies and called for political reconciliation, referencing historical examples of mercy in politics. Onoh cited Sections 174 and 175 of the 1999 Constitution regarding the Attorney-General's powers and the President's prerogative of mercy, arguing that Tinubu's intervention would demonstrate political maturity and promote national unity.