Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has called on opposition leaders to intensify efforts aimed at unseating President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2027 general elections.
El-Rufai made the statement while speaking with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar during a visit on Thursday, shortly after what he described as an attempt by security operatives to detain him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja.
According to him, the incident has further strengthened his resolve to work against the Tinubu administration ahead of the next election cycle.
El-Rufai described the alleged airport encounter as disturbing, claiming that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) planned to use officials of the Department of State Services (DSS) to arrest him without any formal invitation.
He explained that although the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) had earlier invited him for questioning, his lawyer responded that he was outside the country and would honour the invitation on Monday by 10 a.m.
The former governor insisted that he never received any communication or invitation from the ICPC before the airport incident.
He further alleged that the ICPC acted on the instructions of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, accusing the Federal Government of turning security agencies into political tools.
El-Rufai warned that such actions could damage democratic institutions, insisting that the government appeared desperate to remain in power.
“We must not relax between now and March 2027 until we remove this tyrant,” he told Atiku.
He added that all he requested at the airport was an official letter of invitation, noting that no such document was provided.
El-Rufai claimed that the ICPC had never contacted him and that the agency was behind the attempt to detain him, despite the EFCC’s earlier invitation.
He concluded by accusing the administration of using anti-corruption and security agencies for political intimidation, describing the situation as a dangerous trend for Nigeria’s democracy.
