EL-RUFAI TELLS ICPC: PROBE AGAINST ME IS POLITICALLY MOTIVATED — I REFUSE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS

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BY:TAJUDEEN AMINAT

Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of Kaduna State, has told the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) that the probe against him is “politically motivated.”

The ICPC is investigating el-Rufai over alleged financial improprieties during his tenure as Kaduna State governor from 2015 to 2023.

Handwritten statements obtained by ICPC investigators on February 19 and 20, 2026, were included in a counter-affidavit filed by an ICPC officer in response to a suit brought by el-Rufai at the FCT High Court.

El-Rufai had challenged the legality of a search conducted at his Abuja residence on February 19.

Both statements, reviewed by TheCable, were obtained from el-Rufai in the presence of his lawyer, Ubong Akpan.

In the February 19 statement, the former governor claimed that the main reason for the ICPC investigation is his membership in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which he described as “the only surviving opposition party in Nigeria.”

El-Rufai said he would exercise his right to remain silent and would not answer questions from ICPC investigators, insisting that the commission should present the findings of its two-year investigation before a judicial tribunal.

In his February 20 statement, he again invoked his right to silence, stating that he would only respond to questions in court.

FULL DETAILS OF THE STATEMENT OBTAINED ON FEBRUARY 19