Loading ...ABUJA, NIGERIA — The escalating multi-agency criminal prosecution of former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has triggered an emotional family showdown within the ruling party. Hajiya Asiya El-Rufai, the prominent lawyer and wife of the embattled ex-governor, broke her silence yesterday to launch a direct, highly personal appeal to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, demanding basic constitutional rights for her husband.
Flanked by El-Rufai’s other wife, Aichatou, at their Abuja residence, Asiya explicitly reminded the President of the deep political sacrifices and exhaustive campaign efforts her family invested to secure his 2023 presidential victory—contrasting their past loyalty with the rigid treatment her husband is now facing in federal custody.
“Mr. President, Sir, I campaigned for you. I stood up and went to every nook and cranny of Kaduna State for you. My husband stood by your side. Is this what our family deserves?” Hajiya Asiya queried emotionally. “The ball is in your court, Mr. President. All these can stop if you say a word. We believe that you are a father, and we know you can empathise.”
The Fight for Affordability and Basic Rights
The public plea follows a series of crushing judicial setbacks for the former governor. While a Federal High Court previously granted El-Rufai a ₦100 million bail over cybercrime and national security charges filed by the Department of State Services (DSS), he has remained locked behind bars due to a separate, aggressive prosecution by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) in Kaduna.
Just days ago, the Kaduna State High Court flatly denied his bail application regarding a nine-count corruption and abuse of office charge, ruling that the request lacked merit.
Asiya maintained that the family is not seeking an executive shutdown of the anti-graft investigations, but is strictly demanding that the administration stop weaponizing stringent conditions to enforce an indefinite pre-trial detention.
“Please, I am not asking you to tell them not to prosecute him, but we are asking you to allow him the basic human rights that the Constitution you swore to uphold and defend guarantees,” she pleaded. “Let them give him the bail that he can afford. If he is guilty, let the court decide. If he is innocent, let the court decide.”
Medical Crisis And Doctor’s Arrest Fuel Tension
The family’s public outcry comes amidst worsening health concerns and a bizarre administrative fallout during a court-approved hospital visit. Asiya revealed that the former governor, who is dealing with severe high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels, has faced extreme hurdles in accessing independent medical evaluations.
The situation dissolved into chaotic inter-agency friction after the ICPC arrested El-Rufai’s personal physician, Professor Bello Abubakar.
| Conflict Layer | The ICPC Allegations vs. Family/Opposition Rebuttal |
| The Hospital Order | Court directed El-Rufai be allowed unhindered access to a medical team at the National Hospital, Abuja. |
| ICPC’s Crackdown | Accused the ex-governor of staging a “political clinic,” arresting his doctor for fabricating reports and hosting unauthorized political associates. |
| Family / Party Alarm | Opposition platforms (such as the ADC) claimed ICPC operatives physically manhandled Asiya El-Rufai and forcefully aborted the medical admission. |
Political Fallout Intensifies
Legal experts and political strategists note that the public confrontation by El-Rufai’s wives exposes the deepening, bitter cracks within the All Progressives Congress (APC) coalition that brought down the previous northern opposition blocs.
With El-Rufai’s legal team currently pushing for the total recusal of the Kaduna trial judge over suspected bias, the domestic and legal pressure mounting on the Presidential Villa is reaching a boiling point. Asiya’s public reminder that “all these can stop if you say a word” heavily reinforces claims by critics that the multi-billion naira CCTV procurement and phone-tapping trials are fundamentally driven by political score-settling rather than a standard judicial audit.
