The wife of embattled ex-Kaduna governor, Hajiya Asiya El-Rufai, has sent a petition and emotional appeal to President Bola Tinubu, informing him that her husband does not deserve the treatment meted out to him after the support and efforts he put in to ensure the President’s victory at the polls in 2023.
She claimed that the efforts of the family during the election contributed to his victory, pleading for fair treatment to her detained husband.
The Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) accused El-Rufai of abusing the court-approved hospital visit by allegedly receiving political associates while he was expected to undergo medical consultation.
Describing the development as a violation of the court’s order, the anti-graft agency said it approved the defendant’s request for medical attention in compliance with the court’s directive and its obligation to respect the rights and welfare of persons in custody.
According to the commission, the former governor was taken to the private wing of the National Hospital in Abuja on Tuesday under security escort. It said its medical and security personnel remained outside the consultation room at the request of the former governor’s family to allow him privacy during the examination.
However, the ICPC alleged that it later discovered photographs posted on Facebook by one of El-Rufai’s political associates, Isa Ashiru Kudan, showing the former governor in the company of Abubakar, Kudan and three other individuals.
Flanked by Aichatou, El-Rufai’s other wife, while reacting to the arrest of her husband’s personal physician, Prof Bello Abubakar, as confirmed by the ICPC, Asiya claimed that her husband, diagnosed with high blood pressure and high blood sugar levels, was denied access to medical treatment.
Addressing newsmen at her Abuja residence, she said that the family was not asking the President to interfere with El-Rufai’s judicial process or halt the prosecution, but to ensure that he enjoys the constitutional rights available to every Nigerian, including access to medical care, family members, lawyers and bail on reasonable terms.
In an emotional message directed at Tinubu, she recalled the sacrifices she and her husband made for the President during the 2023 electioneering, saying: “Mr. President sir, I campaigned for you. I stood up and went to every nook and cranny of Kaduna State for you. My husband stood by your side. Is this what our family deserves?”
“The ball is in your court, Mr. President. All these can stop if you say a word. We believe that you are a father and we know you can empathise,” she appealed.
While appealing for compassion, Asiya disclosed that the family was not seeking special treatment or political interference in the legal process, pleading: “Please let him go free.”
“I am not asking you to tell them not to prosecute him, but we are asking you to allow him the basic human rights that the Constitution you swore to uphold and defend guarantees. Let them give him the bail that he can afford. If he is guilty, let the court decide; if he is innocent, let the court decide,” she quipped.
The former Kaduna first lady alleged that El-Rufai’s continued detention and the restrictions placed on access to his doctors and relatives had left the family traumatised and living in fear, emphasising: “We, the family, are traumatised. We live in constant fear that we will wake up and hear some bad news.”
While describing the situation as psychologically exerting on both her husband and the family, she added: “I honestly think that what they are doing is more about psychological warfare against Malam and against his family. If they humiliate us, dehumanise us and put us in constant fear, they feel that it affects Malam.”
Asiya also questioned the reported decision to deny El-Rufai’s personal physician access to him, stating: “We were told that orders from ‘above’ said Prof Bello Abubakar cannot have access to anybody for 24 hours. Who is the ‘above’?” she queried rhetorically.
The family further alleged that El-Rufai had been denied regular access to his personal doctors, while visits by relatives had become increasingly restricted.
They also expressed concern over a medical report purportedly issued by the National Hospital, Abuja, raising questions surrounding the document’s authenticity.
Asiya also said that the circumstances under which it was issued should be properly investigated through the consultant whose name appeared on it, stressing that the restrictions have made it difficult for the former governor to prepare his defence adequately.
“We do not shy away from defending ourselves, but we want a fair trial. We would like to be heard. Malam cannot adequately prepare for his defence while he remains in custody and has limited access to his lawyers,” she stressed.
The family further appealed that El-Rufai be granted bail on conditions he could reasonably meet pending the conclusion of his trial, insisting that the courts should be allowed to determine his guilt or innocence.
“We are only asking that he be given the basic human rights guaranteed by the Constitution. Let him be granted bail on reasonable terms. If he is guilty, let the court decide. If he is innocent, let the court also decide,” she said.
El-Rufai, a chieftain of the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), is facing multiple criminal cases instituted by the ICPC in Kaduna and at the Federal High Court. He has denied the allegations and pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The former governor has also repeatedly accused the federal government and the Kaduna state government of using the allegations to stifle him and keep him in detention.
