THE DANGERS OF LAWFARE: PAD CONDEMNS DUE PROCESS VIOLATIONS in nigeria
PLATFORM FOR AFRICAN DEMOCRATS
THE DANGERS OF LAWFARE: PAD CONDEMNS DUE PROCESS VIOLATIONS IN THE CASE OF NASIR EL-RUFAI AND CALLS FOR VIGILANCE AHEAD OF NIGERIA’S 2027 ELECTIONS
The Platform for African Democrats (PAD), a forum of African democrats committed to ending autocratic rule and defending open, accountable government across the continent, expresses its serious concern at the continued detention of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai in Nigeria, now approaching 150 days.
To be clear: PAD takes no position on the merits of any lawful investigation. No citizen, including any former public official, is above the law. However, law must not be converted into an instrument of political repression and persecution. Accountability without due process is not justice—it is lawfare. The rule of law requires open proceedings, credible evidence, access to counsel, respect for judicial authority, and equal treatment before the courts.
The circumstances widely reported in this case raise grave questions about El-Rufai’s prolonged detention, the dubious conduct of security and prosecutorial agencies, and the appearance of political pressure in a charged national environment. These anti-democratic practices, if allowed to stand, make a mockery of acceptable legal norms and erode public confidence in institutions that must always remain independent of partisan calculation.
The El-Rufai case has become emblematic of a wider and dangerous pattern on the continent: the weaponisation of courts, police powers, and administrative procedures to weaken opposition voices and legitimate democratic competition through sustained lawfare. Nigeria is Africa’s largest democracy. Consequently, what happens there matters beyond its borders. As the country moves towards the January 2027 elections, the misuse of state institutions against political actors risks narrowing the country’s civic and political space in which citizens must be free to choose their leaders.
As such, PAD calls on relevant Nigerian authorities to immediately clarify the legal basis for any continued detention of El-Rufai; ensure that any charges are brought promptly before a competent and independent court; guarantee access to legal counsel, family, and medical care; and end any detention or procedure that is not firmly grounded in judicial authority.
We further call on Nigerian authorities, civil society, and democratic parties to defend constitutionalism without fear or favour. The protection of due process is not a privilege to one individual or one party. It is a fundamental safeguard for every citizen.
PAD also urges ECOWAS, the African Union, the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights, election observers, diplomatic missions, and development partners to remain seized of this matter and to monitor closely the broader conditions under which Nigeria’s 2027 elections will ultimately take place. The health of a democracy cannot be assessed only on election day. It is measured by whether citizens, opposition political parties, courts, media, and civil society can operate freely and lawfully in the years and months before a single vote is cast.
Nigeria’s democratic future requires institutions that are stronger than political expediency. PAD calls for the immediate restoration of full due process protections in the case of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, prompt judicial review of all pending proceedings, and public assurance that security and prosecutorial powers will not be used to intimidate or exclude political competitors.
PAD calls on Nigerian authorities to act with urgency; on African democratic institutions to speak unequivocally; and on the international community to remain vigilant, engaged, and fully prepared to use all appropriate diplomatic and legal channels to defend due process, the rule of law, and the democratic rights of all Nigerians.
Issued by the Platform for African Democrats, 20 June 2026