2027: Why Atiku named detained El-Rufai deputy campaign chairman — Dele Momodu

By Adegboyega Adeleye

A chieftain of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Dele Momodu, has explained why former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, was named deputy chairman of Atiku Abubakar’s 2027 presidential campaign council despite being in detention.

Momodu said the appointment was partly a recognition of what he described as El-Rufai’s political sacrifice, insisting that the former governor remained one of the most influential political figures in Northern Nigeria, particularly the Northwest.

He spoke in an interview on Channels Television’s Morning Brief on Friday.

Atiku, the ADC presidential candidate, had on Thursday unveiled his campaign council, naming Kashim Ibrahim-Imam as chairman and El-Rufai as deputy chairman.

Explaining El-Rufai’s inclusion, Momodu, who is also a member of the campaign structure, said the appointment was intended to honour the former governor amid his current travails.

“It is a way of honouring his sacrifice because his travails, I can say, are quite political in nature.

“But I am very happy that ADC found it necessary to put him on that list,” Momodu said.

The ADC chieftain also described El-Rufai as a “prisoner of conscience”, alleging that his current detention was politically motivated.

“That is why Nasiru has become a prisoner of conscience,” he said.

Momodu said El-Rufai’s present predicament should also be considered against his previous political contributions, particularly his role in the political process that led to the emergence of President Bola Tinubu in 2023.

“He is in the hands of a government that he helped to midwife,” he said.

According to him, El-Rufai could have remained outside the country but chose to return despite knowing that he could 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,” Momodu said.

He maintained that the former Kaduna governor remained politically relevant despite controversies surrounding his tenure in office.

“Our attitude [is] that 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,” Momodu said.

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