African Democratic Congress (ADC) chieftain Dele Momodu has explained why former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai was appointed deputy chairman of Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential campaign council despite being in detention.
Momodu said the appointment was partly in recognition of what he described as El-Rufai’s political sacrifice and his continued influence in Northern Nigeria, particularly the Northwest.
He made the remarks during an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Friday.
Atiku Abubakar, the ADC presidential candidate, had on Thursday unveiled his campaign council, naming Kashim Ibrahim-Imam as chairman and El-Rufai as deputy chairman.
Explaining the decision, Momodu said the appointment was intended to honour El-Rufai amid his current legal and political difficulties.
> “It is a way of honouring his sacrifice because his travails, I can say, are quite political in nature,” Momodu said.
The ADC chieftain also described El-Rufai as a “prisoner of conscience,” alleging that his detention was politically motivated.
Momodu further pointed to El-Rufai’s previous political contributions, including his role in the political process that contributed to President Bola Tinubu’s emergence in 2023.
“He is in the hands of a government that he helped to midwife,” he said.
According to Momodu, El-Rufai could have remained outside Nigeria but chose to return despite knowing that he might be arrested.
“He could have stayed away from the country. He chose to come back to the country. He knew he was going to be arrested, and he was arrested,” he said.
Momodu maintained that despite controversies surrounding El-Rufai’s tenure as Kaduna governor, he remains an influential political figure in Northern Nigeria.
He said, “No human being, no soul, is perfect, but Malam Nasiru El-Rufai remains one of the most formidable political figures from Northern Nigeria, especially the Northwest.”
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