Asiya El-Rufai, wife of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to ensure her husband receives fair treatment amid his ongoing criminal prosecution, insisting the family’s past support for Tinubu’s presidency warrants basic courtesy from his administration.
Speaking on ARISE NEWS on Wednesday, Asiya, a lawyer, clarified the family was not asking Tinubu to halt the judicial process but wanted assurance that her husband’s constitutional rights would be upheld.
“I know what we went through. My husband supported President Tinubu because he’s an honourable man. He fought everyone, he even fought President Buhari… So yes, I brought it up because it is normal to expect basic courtesy from somebody that you’ve done so much for. I personally went and campaigned for him,” she said.
While conceding that the President cannot legally interfere in judicial proceedings, Asiya maintained that Tinubu could still direct relevant agencies to act within the law. “The President may not have the power to stop anything, but he has the power to tell them to do the right thing,” she said.
She outlined the family’s key demands: adequate medical care, legal representation, family visits, and bail on reasonable terms.
Questioning why El-Rufai had been repeatedly denied bail despite previously being granted bail on self-recognition by the EFCC and consistently honouring his court appearances, she suggested political motives may be at play, noting prosecutors had painted him as a flight risk.
On his health, Asiya said El-Rufai — who suffers from glaucoma — had been taken to eye clinics but denied access to his longtime physician, Professor Bello, who has since been arrested. She described this as a “weaponising” of healthcare that could discourage medical professionals from offering independent opinions.
She also dismissed claims that a recent hospital visit was used as cover for political meetings, saying her husband only interacted with people who approached him in a public reception area after his consultation.
Asiya called on the government to uphold due process, cautioning that eroding public trust in the rule of law could breed anarchy. She rejected suggestions that her husband poses a political threat, arguing that democracy should accommodate competition rather than suppress it. “Why don’t they let him go and see whether he’s actually a threat or not?” she asked.
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