The 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has described the detention and trial of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as political persecution.

Obi made the remark in Kaduna during a stakeholders’ meeting of the African Democratic Congress (ADC).

The former Anambra State governor argued that the law requires that anyone accused of wrongdoing should be treated with dignity until proven guilty.

Obi said, “It is political persecution. We have a law, and that law allows for people to be treated with dignity until they are found guilty. Let our law prevail.

“How do you tell somebody you’re inviting him, and he came back voluntarily to the country, and you’re treating him like somebody who was running away.

“Let the law run its course. I have said it. I’ve written about it, and I continue to say so.”

Obi and El-Rufai recently joined the ADC as part of a wave of political defections aimed at challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress in the 2027 elections.

The development marks a shift in their political relationship, as El-Rufai had been one of Obi’s most vocal critics during the 2023 presidential campaign.

The controversy surrounding El-Rufai’s case began on February 12 when security operatives attempted to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport in Abuja upon his return from Cairo.

His media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, said the operatives approached the former governor shortly after he disembarked from his flight.

According to him, El-Rufai declined to accompany them because there was no formal invitation.

On February 16, El-Rufai voluntarily presented himself at the headquarters of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.

He was later transferred to the custody of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission on February 19.

A magistrate court on March 5 extended the remand order issued against the former governor by another 14 days.

The development has sparked calls from various quarters urging the authorities to either release him or formally arraign him.

El-Rufai has also filed a fundamental rights suit before the Federal High Court in Abuja, challenging the search conducted on his residence and the remand order issued on February 19.

The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission, the chief magistrate who issued the remand order, the Inspector-General of Police, and the Attorney-General of the Federation were listed as respondents in the suit.

Meanwhile, the former governor arrived at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on Tuesday morning for his arraignment.