SDP Accuses APC Of Plot To File Charges Against Ex-Governor El-Rufai, Prevent Him From Leaving Nigeria
The party alleged that the federal government is targeting Malam Nasir El-Rufai, planning to file multiple charges against him in Abuja and Kaduna, while also issuing directives to prevent him from leaving the country.
The Social Democratic Party (SDP) has raised concerns over alleged plans to suppress opposition figures, warning that intimidation tactics are being used to deter further defections to its party.
In a statement signed by Ambassador Rufus Aiyenigba, the SDP National Publicity Secretary on Friday, the party claimed to have received reliable information that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is leveraging its governmental influence to fabricate criminal charges against its members.
The party alleged that the federal government is targeting Malam Nasir El-Rufai, planning to file multiple charges against him in Abuja and Kaduna, while also issuing directives to prevent him from leaving the country.
“Our sources reveal that the persecution will commence with one of our prominent leaders, Malam Nasir El-Rufai. The government is planning to file multiple charges against him in Abuja and Kaduna imminently.
“In preparation for this, we have also learned that the Federal Government has instructed its agencies to prevent Malam Nasir El-Rufai from leaving the country,” the SDP stated.
Additionally, the party accused the Kaduna State Government, led by Governor Uba Sani, of adopting similar tactics.
It alleged that a state leader of the SDP, Ja’afaru Sani, was abducted by the police unit Operation Fushin Kada and subsequently taken before a magistrate, where the state government obtained an order to remand him in prison.
“As was done to Bashir Saidu on December 31, 2024, Ja’afaru Sani was remanded by the magistrate for alleged money laundering.
This is a matter which is not within the jurisdiction of either a state court or the Nigeria Police. When the gimmick was rolled out in December 2024, it unfolded with a Kaduna magistrate remanding Bashir Saidu in prison till 21 January 2025 on similar charges. It was the precursor to Bashir Saidu spending 50 days in prison,” the statement continued.
The SDP strongly condemned these actions, describing them as undemocratic and reminiscent of tyrannical regimes. The party argued that democratic norms require governments to engage opposition parties through a contest of ideas and improved governance rather than resorting to persecution.
“It is imperative to note that the APC occupies office today because its leaders were not targeted during their years in opposition.
“If former governments had resorted to imprisoning them and burdening them with multiple charges across various courts, the APC would not be in its current position,” the SDP added.
The party called on Nigerians to resist what it described as a crackdown on democratic freedoms and urged for a mature political landscape where opposition figures are not intimidated into silence.
“It is instructive to note that even in the USA, an advanced democratic nation, President Donald Trump was severally and severely persecuted and vilified by the political establishment, but all that did not diminish him nor detract from his popularity. He weathered the storm and got re-elected to power,” the statement pointed out.
The SDP maintained that these alleged attacks on its members would only serve to strengthen the party’s popularity and reinforce its position as a viable alternative for Nigerians seeking better governance.
