Dele Momodu, a senior figure in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), explained on Friday why presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar appointed former Kaduna State governor Nasir El‑Rufai as deputy chairman of the party’s presidential campaign council, a move announced on Thursday ahead of Nigeria’s 2027 general elections.
The ADC campaign council was unveiled on Thursday, with Kashim Ibrahim‑Imam named as chairman and El‑Rufai designated as deputy chairman. The council is intended to steer the party’s strategy as it prepares to contest the upcoming elections.
“It is a way of honouring his sacrifice because his travails, I can say, are quite political in nature,” Momodu told Channels Television’s The Morning Brief. “He’s being held down not because he has committed any crime. He could have stayed away from the country. He chose to come back to the country. He knew he was going to be arrested, and he was arrested.”
“The bail conditions given to him are so horrendous that even his enemies would wonder why he has to go through such painful experience in the hands of a government that he helped to midwife. If not for him, I’m sure President Bola Tinubu will not be in the office today.”
Momodu’s remarks highlight the political significance of El‑Rufai’s involvement, noting that his decision to remain in Nigeria despite the risk of arrest reflects a personal sacrifice that the ADC leadership wishes to recognise as it positions itself for the 2027 electoral contest.
<small>Source: The Sun Nigeria — read the original story there.</small>
