Atiku to Tinubu: Direct ICPC to Free El-Rufai if Anti-Graft Agencies Answer to You

Former Vice President and African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has challenged President Bola Tinubu to direct the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to release former Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai if, as recent events suggest, Nigeria’s anti-corruption agencies are subject to presidential directives.

Atiku’s comments followed President Tinubu’s instruction to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to return to court and vacate the order freezing the Osun State Government’s bank accounts, describing the timing of the action, just days before the August 15 governorship election, as inappropriate.

In a statement issued on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku argued that the President’s intervention contradicted repeated claims that anti-graft agencies operate independently.

According to him, the EFCC’s earlier public explanation for freezing Osun’s accounts never mentioned obtaining a court order, despite Tinubu’s justification for directing the commission to return to court.

“President Tinubu’s statement has raised more questions than it has answered,” Atiku said.

He questioned why the anti-graft agency failed to disclose such a crucial legal detail if a court order indeed existed, suggesting the President’s explanation had created uncertainty about the facts surrounding the case.

The former vice president also argued that Tinubu could not simultaneously claim ignorance of the EFCC’s operational decisions while publicly directing the commission to withdraw its action.

According to Atiku, any compliance by the EFCC would further reinforce the perception that the commission is not as independent as the Presidency maintains.

He extended the argument to the ICPC, insisting that if Tinubu could instruct one anti-corruption agency to discontinue an action, he should be able to issue similar directives regarding El-Rufai’s detention.

El-Rufai has remained in ICPC custody since February over allegations of financial misconduct during his tenure as Kaduna State governor and was later arraigned before the Kaduna State High Court on amended charges relating to fraud and abuse of office.

Atiku maintained that executive authority should not be exercised selectively based on political convenience.

He argued that invoking presidential influence in one case while citing institutional independence in another undermines public confidence in Nigeria’s anti-corruption framework.

The former vice president added that although lifting the freeze on Osun’s accounts may ease political tension ahead of the governorship election, it does not answer lingering questions about why the accounts were frozen in the first place or who authorised the decision.

He said the integrity of Nigeria’s anti-corruption institutions and adherence to the rule of law remain at stake.