Former Nasir El-Rufai has declared that Nigeria’s opposition must remain relentless in its efforts to unseat the government of President Bola Tinubu ahead of the 2027 general elections, following what he described as an attempted detention by security operatives at an airport.
Speaking during a visit to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, El-Rufai said the incident strengthened his resolve to work toward Tinubu’s removal from office.
“Your Excellency, I assure you that what happened today has further reinforced my belief that we must work hard. We must not sleep between now and March 2027 until we remove this tyrant from office,” he said.
The former Kaduna governor described the airport episode as “unfortunate, totally unnecessary, and probably criminal,” alleging that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had procured operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) to detain him without prior invitation.
El-Rufai clarified that while the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had issued him a summons, his lawyer had informed the agency that he was abroad and would appear on Monday at 10 a.m. He said he had received no communication from the ICPC prior to the airport incident.
The former governor accused the ICPC of acting under the directive of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, alleging that the government had politicised security agencies to retain power at all costs. He warned that such actions undermine democratic institutions and public trust in governance.
“We have reduced security agencies to be arms of a political party and a government that knows it is unelectable and wants to remain in power at all cost,” El-Rufai said.
The statement signals a more aggressive posture by prominent opposition figures as the country approaches the 2027 general elections, highlighting tensions between the current administration and its critics.