Atiku's Aide Urges Tinubu to Free El-Rufai Amid Charges

Phrank Shaibu, Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, has called on President Bola Tinubu to release former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai if he is not perceived as a threat to Tinubu's 2027 electoral ambitions. El-Rufai was arrested by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) on February 18, 2026, amid investigations into fraud during his governorship from 2015 to 2023.

He faces multiple charges, including corruption, contract fraud, cybercrime, and phone-tapping allegations involving National Security Adviser Nuhu Ribadu. On May 18, 2026, the Federal High Court in Abuja granted El-Rufai bail set at N100 million, with Justice Joyce Abdulmalik presiding.

Shaibu described the bail conditions as stringent and labeled El-Rufai a political prisoner of conscience, urging for his release to allow him to contest freely in the upcoming elections.