Atiku Abubakar Decries El-Rufai's Bail Conditions, Slams Presidency's Denial of Hunger

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has voiced strong concerns regarding the continued detention of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai. Abubakar described the bail conditions set for El-Rufai as excessively stringent, potentially violating constitutional protections for the accused.

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Bail exists to preserve that constitutional protection. It was never designed to become a sophisticated instrument for punishment before conviction.

In a statement issued by his Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Abubakar argued that bail should uphold the presumption of innocence, not serve as a covert method of incarceration. He stressed that bail requirements must be reasonable and achievable, warning that impossible conditions effectively deny bail altogether. Abubakar questioned whether the court's insistence on specific requirements, such as a serving Grade Level 17 federal civil servant with verifiable property in high-value Abuja districts, aimed to grant bail or prevent release.

Abubakar stated that this issue transcends El-Rufai's personal situation, touching upon fundamental questions about safeguarding civil liberties and upholding the rule of law within a democracy. "The law is settled that an accused person remains innocent until proven guilty. Bail exists to preserve that constitutional protection. It was never designed to become a sophisticated instrument for punishment before conviction," he asserted.

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The latest comments from the Presidency reveal a disturbing disconnect between those who govern and the people they govern.

Separately, Abubakar condemned what he termed the presidency's "dangerous exercise in denial" regarding the nation's worsening insecurity and economic hardship. He criticized comments attributed to presidential aide Bayo Onanuga, which suggested no hunger exists in Nigeria. Abubakar found it astonishing and insulting that the administration would attack the messenger (the media) instead of addressing the message of suffering conveyed by millions of Nigerians.

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Nigerians are enduring one of the most difficult periods in our recent history.

"The latest comments from the Presidency reveal a disturbing disconnect between those who govern and the people they govern," Abubakar stated. He emphasized that Nigerians experiencing severe hardship do not need media reports to confirm their reality. "The father who goes to bed wondering how to provide the next meal for his family does not need a newspaper report to confirm hardship. The mother who now pays three or four times more for basic food items than she did two years ago does not require a television broadcast to understand inflation," he added.

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The father who goes to bed wondering how to provide the next meal for his family does not need a newspaper report to confirm hardship.