Kenneth Okonkwo alleges President Tinubu is targeting Nasir El-Rufai over ADC defection, calling for respect of his rights and fair trial
Nollywood veteran and politician Kenneth Okonkwo has claimed that President Bola Tinubu is persecuting former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai because of his defection to the African Democratic Congress, ADC.
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Okonkwo made the remarks in which he addressed the detention of El-Rufai and the limits of governmental authority.
“We believe that El-Rufai is being maltreated and persecuted because he had joined the ADC. We are not exculpating anybody, but it is the court of law that should decide, not President Tinubu,” Okonkwo said.
The actor-turned-politician criticised the Federal Government’s use of anti-corruption powers, suggesting that they are being wielded against political opposition rather than genuinely fighting corruption.
“And for now, he is using his authority as the Commander-in-Chief to use the instrumentality of the ‘anti corruption’ against the opposition. I wonder whether there is any commission fighting corruption in Tinubu’s regime,” he added.
Okonkwo stressed that El-Rufai’s fundamental rights should be guaranteed and questioned the legality of detaining someone beyond 48 hours without proper judicial oversight.
“Forty-eight hours is what a government has to keep anybody in detention without granting him bail. No, you don’t have that power. And you don’t have the power according to the Supreme Court judgment to keep somebody in detention and pretend you are investigating,” he said.
He also highlighted the proper role of criminal proceedings, noting that the burden of proof lies with the prosecution, not the suspect.
“The whole idea of arrest is that you have concluded your investigation and you have found the person culpable for any crime you are alleging he committed. That somebody said anything does not give you the right to go and arrest somebody,” Okonkwo said.
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The comments add to ongoing debates about political detentions and human rights in Nigeria, particularly as El-Rufai faces scrutiny following his recent defection to the ADC.
