African Action Congress presidential candidate in the 2027 election, Omoyele Sowore, has condemned the continued detention of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, describing it as politically motivated rather than a genuine effort to uphold justice.
Sowore made the allegation in a post on X, warning that the violation of an individual’s rights should not be tolerated merely because the person involved is unpopular.
“It may not bother some people, but the continued detention of @elrufa is not about justice; it is political vendetta,” Sowore wrote, while demanding El-Rufai’s release under the hashtag #FreeElRufaiNow.
The AAC presidential candidate cautioned that remaining silent in the face of alleged injustice simply because the victim is disliked could create a dangerous precedent.
He maintained that accepting such treatment against one individual could eventually pave the way for others to suffer similar abuses.
Sowore’s position generated mixed reactions on X, as some users backed his call for El-Rufai’s release, while others accused him of double standards and questioned whether he would maintain the same position under different political circumstances.
One user, @BigJman1000, claimed that El-Rufai’s detention was connected to his criticism of the present administration, alleging that the government was uncomfortable with individuals drawing attention to what the user described as its failures.
Another X user, @truthnfun, raised questions about accountability, asking who would compensate El-Rufai for the time he had spent in detention should he eventually be released.
However, @agroconomyucn disputed Sowore’s argument, suggesting that his position might change if he were in power and El-Rufai had unlawfully obtained sensitive government security information.
Some commentators focused instead on El-Rufai’s political history. @NnamdiWilson04 argued that the former Kaduna governor was now facing consequences arising from the political structure he had helped establish, while also recalling his previous remarks concerning political power in Kaduna and at the federal level.
In a separate reaction, @babalolaol68624 called on President Bola Tinubu to order El-Rufai’s release, describing the continued detention as unjust and pointing to the former governor’s previous support for Tinubu.
The contrasting reactions underscore the political sensitivity of El-Rufai’s case, with the discussion increasingly broadening from his personal circumstances to wider issues surrounding political accountability, due process and the treatment of critics of government.
