The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has declared former Kaduna State governor Nasiru El-Rufai a prisoner of conscience, demanding his immediate release and accusing the country’s political establishment of subjecting him to systematic persecution.
The resolution, passed unanimously at the party’s 101st National Executive Committee meeting in Abuja on Saturday, is likely to sharpen debate over El-Rufai’s fate at a moment when opposition forces are scrambling to present a unified challenge to the ruling All Progressives Congress before the 2027 general elections.
“The NEC recognises Mallam Nasiru El-Rufai as prisoner of conscience and calls for his immediate release,” the party said in a communiqué signed by national publicity secretary Bolaji Abdullahi.
El-Rufai, once a dominant figure in Nigerian federal politics and a former APC stalwart, has in recent months aligned himself with opposition movements seeking to disrupt President Bola Tinubu’s grip on power.
The Abuja gathering was not confined to political theatre. Party leaders ratified the results of recently conducted primaries across all tiers of government — from ward-level contests to the presidential race — though results in constituencies where appeals remained outstanding as of 29 May were withheld pending resolution. Several aspirants have already filed complaints over the conduct of nominations in parts of the country.
In a move designed to ensure continuity through what promises to be a turbulent electoral cycle, the NEC approved a 12-month extension of the National Working Committee’s tenure and authorised the creation of caretaker committees at zonal, state, local government and ward levels for the same period — a significant structural reorganisation aimed at rebuilding the party’s grassroots presence across all 36 states.
Speaking ahead of the session, national chairman David Mark urged members to remain disciplined and cohesive. Nigerians, he argued, were actively searching for a credible political alternative capable of confronting the country’s deepening security and economic crises — and the ADC, he insisted, had an obligation to answer that call.
Whether the party can translate internal consolidation into electoral relevance remains an open question. But with primary results largely ratified and its leadership structures secured for another year, the ADC is making a visible, if still tentative, bid to position itself at the centre of Nigeria’s increasingly crowded opposition landscape.
