“You Are Overreaching Your Powers”: El-Rufai Warns As Police Ban ADC Meeting in Kaduna
- The former governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has criticised the police after ADC leaders were banned from holding a meeting in the state
- In a gathering on Thursday, El-Rufai hinted at a legal action against the police, asserting that the ADC leaders are within their constitutional rights
- Legit.ng reported that El-Rufai recently dumped the APC and joined forces with Atiku Abubakar and adopted the ADC, a coalition aimed at challenging Tinubu in the 2027 elections
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Legit.ng journalist Esther Odili has over two years of experience covering political parties and movements.
Malam Nasir El-Rufai, the immediate past governor of Kaduna state, has expressed strong displeasure over the police order halting a planned meeting of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) leaders in the state, insisting the action violated constitutional provisions.
Source: Facebook
The disruption follows violent events at an opposition gathering last Saturday, during which suspected thugs stormed the inauguration of a transition committee in Kaduna, targeting leaders from a coalition including the ADC, PDP, SDP, NNPP, and LP.
As reported by The Punch, El-Rufai condemned the violence, describing it as a “dangerous descent into lawlessness.”
Speaking at a press conference at his Kaduna residence on Thursday, September 4, El-Rufai said:
“The plan was that the ADC leadership in the North-West are in Kaduna to commiserate with us over the incident of Saturday. And we were going to have that visit in our office.
“The police commissioner wrote to say that we can’t hold it in the state,” he explained.
Source: Facebook
Police accused of overreaching their powers
Speaking further, he accused the police of overreaching their powers, claiming that the state Commissioner of Police obtained a court injunction stopping the meeting without properly serving it on the affected persons.
He, however, noted that party leaders chose to respect the police commissioner’s position despite the alleged irregularities.
“As responsible leaders, we had the choice of going there to have our meeting. Nobody can stop us; we are within our constitutional rights,” El-Rufai stated.
El-Rufai hints at legal action against police
El-Rufai added that the decision to hold the press briefing at his private residence was to avoid confrontation with security agencies.
Speaking further, he warned that the matter would not be swept under the carpet, hinting at possible legal battles ahead.
“This is not the end of it. Other things will follow after this,” El-Rufai said.
As of the time of filing this report, the Kaduna state police command’s public relations officer, DSP Mansir Hassan, is yet to react to the development.
El-Rufai dumps APC for ADC
Meanwhile, Legit.ng reported that in June 2025, El-Rufai officially resigned from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the Social Democratic Party (SDP). He joined Atiku Abubakar and other major opposition leaders, to form a coalition under the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The alliance is expected to challenge President Tinubu in the 2027 election.
Read more about El-Rufai here:
- ADC supporters welcome El-Rufai to Kaduna
- Video trends as El-Rufai breaks silence on fallout with Kaduna governor: “He was my boy”
“End insecurity not voices of opposition,” El-Rufai to FG
Elsewhere, Legit.ng reported that Nasir El-Rufai criticised Tinubu's government and the office of the National Security Adviser, led by Nuhu Ribadu, after they denied empowering bandits.
El-Rufai, in a post shared on his X page, maintained his stance and insisted that the Nigerian government, through the ONSA, is paying bandits and terrorists ransom from the state's coffers.
Source: Legit.ng
