Headline

NDC Candidate, Mahama, Rejects Supreme Court Judgement on 2020 Election Petition (See Full Speech)

Published

5 years ago

March 5, 2021

Eric

NATIONAL ADDRESS BY H.E. JOHN DRAMANI MAHAMA, 2020 PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE OF THE NATIONAL DEMOCRATIC CONGRESS AFTER THE SUPREME COURT JUDGMENT ON THE 2020 ELECTION PETITION

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen,

Earlier today, the Supreme Court of Ghana delivered its verdict on a petition we filed against the declaration made on the evening of 9^th December 2020 by the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission of Ghana, Mrs. Jean Mensa, on the Presidential Elections of December 7, 2020.

My brothers and sisters, I did not take the decision to go to court lightly. In fact, many were those who expressed misgivings about my decision, not because we did not have a strong case, but because of the times we live in.

I still believe that no matter the circumstances, it was the right thing to do. It is gratifying that the court’s proceedings were broadcast live. Ghanaians followed the hearings diligently. They understood what was happening even if the legal terminologies were not always easy to grasp.

Even though the petition to the Supreme Court stood in my name, it nonetheless represented the desire of an overwhelming number of Ghanaians, anxious for answers from the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission as the Returning Officer of the December 2020 Presidential Election.

Ghanaians were hoping to hear her testify and many are still baffled by the refusal of Mrs. Jean Mensa to be held to account by testifying in this case – unfortunately, with the unanimous agreement of the justices of the Supreme Court of Ghana. This vital part of the process to establish the truth and hold Mrs. Jean Mensa accountable was blocked time and again by a protective cordon and firewall that I am sure have confounded many Ghanaians.

The refusal of the Chairperson is in sharp contrast to the readiness with which Dr. Kwadwo Afari Gyan, then Chairman of the Electoral Commission willingly testified in the 2013 Election petition filed by then candidate Nana Akufo-Addo of the NPP.

Speaking as a Ghanaian, with no legal training, I believe that the refusal of the Electoral Commission Chairperson to testify in this election petition, leaves a bad precedent for the future. I disagree with the suggestion of our Justices that an election petition is akin to any other civil litigation and therefore an EC Chairperson, whose functions go to the heart of our democracy, can by a legal sleight of hand avoid accounting for her stewardship in an appropriate forum such as the highest court of the land.

Our legal team, led by Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata, put together our case in a clear manner, which left no one in doubt about what the issues were. Apart from seeking to ensure compliance with the constitution and for the true choice of the people of Ghana to be respected, the Petition sought to provide opportunity for transparency and accountability in the management of our electoral processes. But no one who followed the proceedings in the Supreme Court will be surprised with the judgement pronounced some hours ago.

Much as I am aware that we are legally bound by the decision of the Supreme Court, I disagree with the process of trial and ruling of the court.

Ladies and Gentlemen, our 1992 Constitution says very directly in Article 125 Section 1 that: “Justice emanates from the people and shall be administered in the name of the Republic by the Judiciary, which shall be independent and subject only to this constitution.”

I believe that the law should not be an instrument for partisan purposes. I also believe that the rule of law should mean one rule for all. What anchors the rule of law is equality and fairness to all, irrespective of creed, background, or political coloration. Justice, we must remember, is rooted in moral foundations.

Ghanaians will always remember that moment when my lead counsel, Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata, quoted from the Holy Bible urging the Justices of the Supreme Court to be faithful to their Judicial Oath and their conscience, only for the lawyer representing Nana Akufo-Addo, the 2^nd Respondent, to argue for the exclusion of God in the matter. Yet, in the courts of Ghana, we swear on the Bible or the Cross, as we also do with the Holy Koran, to speak the truth and nothing but the truth.

Ghanaians will also remember this 2021 Election Petition for that profound moment when the Chairperson of the Electoral Commission opted to evade public scrutiny. Everything was done in this trial to prevent the Commission from accounting to the people in whose name they hold office.

Requests for Interrogatories were dismissed. A request to inspect documents in the possession of the Commission was turned down. The request for admission of facts was ignored.

Worse still, she was aided by her counsel and the court to avoid explaining to the good people of Ghana from her own testimony, under oath in a properly constituted court of law, the errors she herself admits to have committed in the declaration of the 2020 Presidential election results.

This is a clear stab in the heart of transparency and accountability to the sovereign people of Ghana. Whatever the reasons for not allowing Mrs. Jean Mensa to testify or answer any questions, it leaves an embarrassing stain, not only on our justice delivery system but also, on the nation’s electoral system, which has deepened the grave doubts harboured by many Ghanaians about the true outcome of the December 2020 Presidential Election.

The motto of Ghana’s Electoral Commission is Transparency, Fairness and Integrity – principles the key actors clearly failed to live up to on this occasion. The refusal to account to Ghanaians, further, sets the worrying precedent – and I do really worry about this dangerous precedent – that may allow other heads of state institutions to adopt an approach of opacity and non-accountability in their work.

Just because they can rely on unconvincing interpretations of our laws to shield them from scrutiny in the near future. I hope and pray that time will prove me wrong.

There is a famous legal maxim brought into common use by Lord Chief Justice Hewart in 1924, that “Justice must not only be done but should manifestly and undoubtedly seen to be done”.

While judgement was given in this petition, it cannot be said by many to have been seen to be done by the constant unanimous strictures placed on the petitioner in laying out his case.

I have followed the proceedings of this petition and listened to the testimony of our General Secretary Johnson Asiedu Nketiah from beginning to end. I am quite alarmed at the mutilation of his testimony in the Supreme Court ruling.

Indeed, the ruling I heard today, virtually makes him the star witness of the 1^st and 2^nd Respondents. Many answers of his testimony in cross examination were taken out of context to create the basis for the dismissal of our election petition.

Ladies and Gentlemen, this case will go into the Ghana Law Reports for the future, and academics and students of law alike will clearly find befuddling, the internal contradictions in our jurisprudence. At the appropriate time, the legal team will come out with detailed comments on the judgment.

The Supreme Court has given its verdict, but the national debate on the dismal state of our democracy and the increasing weakness of its institutions has only just begun. It is time we all come together to confront those who seek to destroy the very democratic system that brought them into office. It is our patriotic duty to do so.

Ladies and Gentlemen, it bears reiterating that our grievances with the conduct of the 2020 elections was not limited to just the Presidential elections. Doubts about the Commission’s commitment to fairness and transparency have lingered much longer than the duration of this Petition.

The doubts have attended their every action, and rightly so, because of their posturing and sometimes duplicitous conduct. As I have alluded to in the past, the current leadership of the Commission, was installed after the politically motivated removal of the previous leadership. Since then, every step they have taken has appeared to be calculated at ensuring the retention of the appointing authority in power.

Aside from the compilation of a new voter register in the midst of a pandemic, one that many Civil Society Organisations, political and governance experts insist was more procurement-induced than need-based, the time-tested process of consultation and dialogue among stakeholders through the Inter Party Advisory Committee (IPAC) was supplanted by unilateralism. This has not boded well for harmonious relations with stakeholders.

Compared to the two previous leaderships of the Commission, what we have now does not meet even the minimum requirements of neutrality and non-partisanship that are essential for consolidating our democracy. The much-touted independence of the Electoral Commission exists only in name now. This should give all Ghanaians cause to worry.

Today, we still have as a member of the Commission, someone who publicly stated that the political party, which I led into the December 2020 election is an existential threat to Ghana’s democracy. And yet that same member presided over an election in which the same political party participated.

In the Parliamentary elections, the NDC won majority of seats. However, through devious manipulation by officials of the Electoral Commission, a number of these seats were illegally declared for the NPP.

In some instances, the manipulation was so glaring and brazen that simple intervention by the leadership of the Electoral Commission as has been done by previous Commissioners could have addressed the issues and righted the wrongs to make court actions completely unnecessary.

Therefore, it is not surprising that International Election Observers captured collation and tallying of results as one of the challenges of our 2020 elections. The posture and approach of this current Electoral Commission does not inspire the confidence needed to preside over any transparent, free and fair election.

They have absolutely no reason to remain in office. This is because the Electoral Commission must remain a neutral arbiter and the organizer of elections. They must not hold a vested interest in the dubious victory of one party over another.

The loyalty of the Electoral Commission must be to the people of Ghana and the Constitution from which it derives its mandate, and not the President or party under whose tenure the leadership is appointed. Immediate reforms, reflecting the long-standing image and reputation of our Electoral Commission as one of the finest and most credible on the continent and indeed the world, must be one of the focuses of public advocacy, if future elections are to be devoid of needless tensions and anxiety.

My brothers and sisters, we cannot forget the burning issue of the deliberate exclusion of the good people of Santrokofi, Akpafu, Likpe and Lolobi (SALL) from the Parliamentary election of 2020. This constitutes perhaps, the gravest injustice of the 2020 elections. It can easily fit into the worst forms of electoral trickery ever witnessed in our nation’s history.

Despite the shenanigans employed by the conspirators in this issue, it is abundantly clear that the rights of the people of SALL to vote, was intentionally violated as part of a move to ensure the predetermined election outcome of a particular Parliamentary constituency. This represents unparalleled abuse of power by both the government and its handmaiden, the Electoral Commission, to influence the outcome of the Parliamentary election in Hohoe.

It is even more staggering that no one has stepped forward to take responsibility for this unjustifiable action nor indicated any clear remedy for the harm caused. We cannot as a people countenance this kind of gerrymandering and chicanery in our politics. We must with one accord, demand immediate resolution of the impasse in the SALL area and take urgent steps to afford the people their right to vote and be represented.

My brothers and sisters, we entered the 2020 elections against an incumbent that was determined to abuse power and misuse state resources and institutions to achieve electoral victory. The run-up to the election and some of the processes involved were characterized by intimidation and harassment from state security agents and others loyal to the current regime.

Selective deployment of military personnel was used as a tool to instil fear in some of our citizens to dissuade them from taking part in the voter registration and other processes. Others were falsely branded as foreigners and their citizenship called into question unjustly – an abhorrent nation-wrecking prejudice which has been directed especially against certain ethic groups of this country and has continued till date and has even recently been visited crudely on the Auditor General, Daniel Yaw Domelevo.

In the last election, unprecedented levels of state funds and resources were doled out by the ruling party, and unprovoked, deadly violence inflicted on our citizens in several cases. In the process, eight of our compatriots were murdered in cold blood and several others maimed during the process of the elections.

We have designated these compatriots, whose blood was shed just because they sought to participate in what was a purely civil exercise as “MARTYRS OF DEMOCRACY” to whom we shall dedicate an appropriate monument when the time comes.

I hope we can count on all well-meaning Ghanaians to support our efforts to bring the perpetrators of these murders to justice. Never must a government be allowed to turn the simple process of an election into a bloodbath. Never must impunity of this magnitude be allowed to fester in our democracy.

Our independence and the current democracy we enjoy were fought for and attained through the sacrifice and blood of our founding fathers, mothers and our compatriots. Never must we accept convenience over principle.

I take this opportunity to express my deep-seated appreciation to our lawyers, led by the colossus of a legal mind, Tsatsu Tsikata, for a valiant fight, which has won the admiration of many. Against considerable odds, they persisted and drove home our point in a manner that convinced all fair-minded observers about the just cause we had embarked on.

I express similar gratitude to all who played diverse roles in putting our case together. I salute our three key witnesses – our General Secretary, Johnson Asiedu Nketia, Dr. Michael Kpessah Whyte and Rojo Mettle-Nunoo for helping to unravel a part of the untold story of the flawed 2020 elections.

I also wish to place on record that the service rendered to me by my legal team in this petition was gratis – free. We may not have been successful. But your hard work and sacrifice will not go unheralded when the full story is told.

I am very much aware that there are millions watching and listening to me who are disappointed at the outcome of this case. For those millions, like myself, who held out hope that our democracy would be advanced by the process and outcome of this petition, you must be disappointed.

But I encourage you to hold your heads up high and channel your disappointment into hard work that will ensure that, come next election, we will achieve a truly transparent and fair election, which we all as Ghanaians can be proud of.

To all my compatriots and supporters, we may have lost the temporary battle of the 2020 election and the Petition that followed, but the larger struggle to create a society that lives up to our national motto of freedom and justice still rages on. It is a struggle, which requires even more commitment than before, and it is one that we will not shirk from until our patriotic aim is achieved.

To the millions of NDC supporters who have stood by me, my running mate, Professor Naana Jane Opoku Agyemang, our National Chairman, General Secretary, Campaign Chairman, FEC, NEC, Parliamentary Candidates, Sponsors and all activists and supporters who gave their all in the hope that we will win and form the next government to save our nation and meet your aspirations, do not despair at this outcome. I repeat. Do not despair! Never, ever lose hope.

We achieved an impressive showing in the last election, and despite the intimidation, obscene abuse of incumbency advantage and the massive use of funds and resources we can be proud that we gave it our best. Our have become stepping-stones on which the NDC can build to secure victory in the next elections.

The NDC will survive and grow from strength to strength. The sun may have set on our hopes for the just ended election today, but it will rise tomorrow and illuminate our path to a better outcome next time around.

To the Council of Elders, members of the National Executive Committee of the NDC, the Functional Executive Committee, the Election 2020 Campaign team, my Staff, party executives at all levels, volunteers, polling agents and all who played roles in our campaign, no matter how small, I thank you from the bottom of my heart.

The NDC will always remain the party of the people. The party was established to empower the people of Ghana to be architects of our own destiny. We blazed the trail for participatory democracy. And I am confident that out of the ashes of this legal setback, we will mobilize and rekindle the struggle for a better democratic Ghana.

We will be law abiding and do nothing to compromise the stability of the country. We will however continue to be the voice of the voiceless and will not be distracted demanding justice and fairness at all times. Neither will we surrender or fail to champion the rights of all our people to enjoy the fundamental freedoms guaranteed under our constitution.

To the over six million Ghanaians who entrusted me with their votes, I cannot thank you enough for this honour. I value your votes so much. It reflects the confidence you have in the ideology, the ethos and importantly the 2020 Peoples’ Manifesto of the NDC. We have proven to be the most viable path to rapid socio-economic development.

I can assure you that even though this was not the outcome we expected, I am sure your votes will spur us on to victory in the future elections.

I also wish to acknowledge and commend the courage and commitment of Civil Society Organisations, journalists and individuals who have dedicated their lives to speak truth to power irrespective of which party sits at the Flagstaff House.

Whiles in office, my administration tolerated your views even when we disagreed. We did not hound your souls. In similar vein, we encourage you to continue to hold all governments accountable as you have done in the past for it is your right to do so.

My brothers and sisters, I have had a relatively long and fulfilling journey of public life and service during which I have had the privilege to serve in various capacities. I have had my ups and downs like all humans, but I have at all times promoted unity and inclusion and not division; and I have always placed the interest and well-being of Ghana first. I will continue to do same even at this moment and beyond.

We have only one nation, Ghana, and we must work together to ensure progress and growth of our dear nation. We can only do this, if we ensure equality, freedom and justice for all our citizens.

Long Live the NDC!

Long Live Ghana!

I thank you all for your attention.

May God bless our homeland Ghana.

Headline

ADC Tells Tinubu to Resign As World Bank Reveals 139million Nigerians Live in Poverty

Published

18 hours ago

July 20, 2026

Eric

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) on Saturday asked President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to resign rather than seek re-election, asserting that the World Bank’s recent report showing that 139 million Nigerians live below the poverty line is his scorecard.

“The evidence of 139 million people living in poverty and 17 million at risk of starvation is President Tinubu’s scorecard,” the party said. “On account of this catastrophic failure alone, President Tinubu should be contemplating resigning from office rather than seeking re-election.”

It decried that the “catastrophic” situation was occasioned by the Tinubu administration’s policies, which it said, “have favoured money over people and statistics over survival.”

The opposition party maintained that the economic growth Mr Tinubu’s government has repeatedly boasted of as a result of its economic reforms is “meaningless” if the livelihoods of people at the grassroots have yet to improve since 2023, when he assumed office.

“Instead of changing course, the government has stubbornly stuck with its ruinous economic policies and even continues to market recklessness as courage and wickedness as ‘necessary pains.’

“However, three years down the line, it is now clear that the chicken has come home to roost,” the ADC said.

According to the party, Nigeria desperately needs a leader who truly cares about citizens’ well-being and understands that economic reforms should improve citizens’ lives, not worsen their misery.

“A president whose government is not openly feasting while asking the people to continue fasting. A government that does not wallow in profligacy while handing the people palliatives,” it added.

The party condemned the ruling APC’s social intervention programmes aimed at cushioning the effects of its economic policies, adding, “Poverty cannot be defeated through palliatives.”

The ADC pledged that if elected in 2027, it would tackle the root causes of hunger by reducing energy costs, enhancing food production, and ensuring that farmers returned to their farmlands.

It also vowed to rehabilitate the 264 abandoned dams, improve access to fertilisers and quality seeds, and invest in storage facilities.

According to the party, transportation, waste, and food prices would be reduced while creating productive jobs.

“Hunger cannot be separated from poverty, education, or healthcare. That is why an ADC government will prioritise nutrition, primary healthcare, quality basic education, and skills development because no nation can build a prosperous economy while millions of its children are hungry, out of school, or cannot read simple texts,” the party said.

Headline

‘Punishment Before Trial’: The Travails of Nasir El-Rufai

Published

2 days ago

July 19, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

For 150 days and counting, a former Governor of Kaduna State, and one time Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has remained in the custody of various security agencies including the Department of State Services (DSS), the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) for alleged offences ranging from fund misappropriation, wiretapping and eavesdropping on security information among others. El-Rufai has not been found of any offence though he has spent over 150 days in custody.

The former governor’s plight was brought back to the fore weekend, when his wife, Asia Ahmad El-Rufai, made a passionate appeal to the international community to intervene over what she described as her husband’s prolonged detention and alleged denial of due process.

Mrs El-Rufai argued that the former governor’s continued incarceration amounted to “punishment before trial” and posed a threat to Nigeria’s democratic institutions. She noted that her husband has not been fairly treated even as she alleged that the former Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprise (BPE) may have taken ill in custody, bleeding from both nose and mouth. She wondered how someone, could made to undergo such severe punishment even when he is not undergone any trial, let alone being found guilty.

In a statement she signed herself, released his social media handles to mark what she described as the 150th day of El-Rufai’s detention, El-Rufai’s wife called on foreign governments, multilateral and multinational organisations and international human rights groups to closely monitor the legal proceedings involving her husband.

She acknowledged not speaking as a political actor but as a wife and mother seeking fairness for a member of her family.

The woman was of the opinion that the period of her husband’s incarceration without trial, has taken a significant emotional and physical toll on the former governor, members of his family and close associates.

“On the 150th day of Mallam Nasir El-Rufai’s detention, I ask readers outside Nigeria to pause over what that number means. One hundred and fifty days is not a legal phrase.

“It is five months of missed meals, missed prayers, missed proper mourning of his deceased mother, missed family conversations, interrupted medical care and moments we can never recover,” she said.

Acknowledging that her husband had been a controversial figure during his more than two decades in public service, as well as how rule of law and democracy should play out, she observed that “My husband is no stranger to controversy or public scrutiny. He has been praised, criticised, loved and opposed. That is democracy.

“But what is happening to him today is not democracy, and it is not accountability. It is punishment before trial,” she said.

Continuing and reflecting on the origin of the travails of her husband, Mrs El-Rufai traced his confrontation with the law to when am attempt was first made to arrest him at the airport on his way back from Egypt. The embarrassing situation at the airport culminated in his appearance for questioning, and ever since he has been allowed except when he was momentarily permitted to go and bury his dead mother.

She said, “There was the sudden invitation, his voluntary appearance before the authorities, and the promise of bail that existed on paper but not in freedom.

“There was the night he was moved between locations without warning and without the dignity of allowing his family to know where he was being taken,” she stated.

Asia also alleged that the former governor became seriously ill while in custody and experienced bleeding from his nose and mouth.

She claimed that officials were reluctant to provide him with adequate medical attention or allow his family to deliver his prescribed medication.

“I still remember the helplessness of hearing that he had fallen gravely ill in custody, bleeding from his nose and mouth, while those responsible for his welfare were reluctant to provide the care any person deserves.

“I remember the anxiety of trying to get his medication to him and wondering whether officials would accept it,” she said.

According to her, the detention had inflicted emotional distress on the family, which continued to wait for the legal process to take its course.

“These are not abstract violations. They are the moments that chip away at a family’s resolve and hope,” she added.

While not requesting that her husband be placed above the law, or escape investigation as a public officer, she insisted that such investigations must be conducted transparently, and in accordance with constitutional safeguards.

“If the state believes it has evidence, let it be presented before an impartial court, openly and fairly.

“But justice cannot be selective. It cannot be pursued through overlapping charges, repeated detention, impossible bail conditions and public humiliation designed to persuade the nation of guilt before a judge has heard the case,” she said.

She accused the government of the day of orchestrating the gory details of the situation, including stringent bail conditions to deprive her husband of freedom, even as the election approaches, stressing that Nigeria was drifting from legitimate accountability towards “lawfare,” which she described as the deployment of legal institutions and judicial procedures as political weapons. She believes that El-Rufai’s problems are the consequence of his disagreement with President Bola Tinubu, and his eventual decanting from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“The concern is not whether former officials may be investigated; they can and should be.

“The concern is whether the law is being applied neutrally or deployed against those who have fallen out of political favour,” she said.

“His political rupture with President Bola Tinubu’s ruling All Progressives Congress and his refusal to surrender his independent voice should not make him a target for indefinite punishment or detention disguised as prosecution,” she said.

“The legal architecture”, she continued, “surrounding him is bewildering even to trained observers: multiple charges in different courts, overlapping allegations, shifting statutory theories and duplicated claims arising from the same alleged events.

“If one application for bail is made and the conditions are met, another accusation can be filed the next day. If one judge must consider freedom, another process can be used to delay it,” she alleged, querying why such procedures was allowed to turn the judicial process into a form of punishment before conviction.

In March 2026, the ICPC arraigned El-Rufai, alongside one Joel Adoga, before Honourable Justice A.I. Aikawa of the Federal High Court, Kaduna Division, on a 10-count charge bordering on abuse of office, money laundering and fraud.

According to the charge sheet marked FHC/KD/73/2026, the former governor was accused of unlawfully receiving multiple sums of money in naira and foreign currencies while serving as a public officer.

Specifically, the Commission alleged that El-Rufai, in September 2020 and January 2023, received the sum of N289,826,998.12 on each occasion as severance allowance, far exceeding the legally entitled sum of N20,013,245.00, being 300 percent of his annual basic salary.

The ICPC charge further revealed that between 2016 and 2023, the former governor allegedly took control of various sums in United States Dollars through his domiciliary account with Guaranty Trust Bank. These include $320,800 allegedly paid in tranches by Joel Adoga, as well as other deposits amounting to $155,800, $305,300, and several smaller sums from different individuals, all reasonably suspected to be proceeds of unlawful activities.

Joel Adoga was also accused of conspiring with the former governor in July 2019 to disguise the origin of $10,000 deposited into the said account.

One of the counts reads that both defendants, in July 2019 at Wuse, Abuja, allegedly conspired to disguise the origin of $10,000 paid into the former governor’s domiciliary account, knowing or reasonably ought to have known that the funds formed part of the proceeds of unlawful activity, contrary to and punishable under relevant provisions of the Money Laundering (Prevention and Prohibition) Act, 2022.

When the charges were read, both defendants pleaded not guilty to all counts, but they were ordered to be remanded in ICPC custody.

The ICPC further violated the court-ordered access to the former governor, saying that the order did not override the agency’s internal security rules.

In May 2026, the Federal High Court sitting in Abuja granted El-Rufai N100 million bail in the trial over the alleged unlawful interception of the phone communications of the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu. However, he was re-arrested right at the court premises by the DSS, prompting the family to raise alarm.

EL-RUFAI’S STRINGENT BAIL CONDITIONS

Much as the embattled former Kaduna governor was granted bail, the conditions have appeared too stringent and tough to meet, the situation that prompted the African Democratic Congress (ADC) among many other concerned Nigerians to react.

In its immediate reaction, the ADC accused the Federal Government of turning El-Rufai into a political prisoner, describing his ordeal as “political persecution dressed up as prosecution.”

El-Rufai’s family also condemned the re-arrest.

El-Rufai’s second wife, Hasiat, who addressed journalists outside the DSS facility, said the family was traumatised by the development and lived daily under the shadow of threats and surveillance.

“We now live in constant fear. Every day we get a threat — DSS is coming to raid your house, ICPC is coming to raid your house, police are coming to raid your house. You are being followed. Our phones are tapped,” she said.

As part of the bail conditions, the trial judge, Justice Joyce Abdulmalik ordered the defendant to produce a surety who must be a federal civil servant not below Grade Level 17.

According to the court, the surety must not only be resident in either Maitama or Asokoro highbrow districts of Abuja, but must also deposit the original Certificate of Occupancy of a landed property not valued below the bail sum.

It held that the surety must also provide evidence of receipt of salary for at least three months, with an authenticated letter from the manager of a bank within the jurisdiction of the court.

It added that a verification letter from the surety’s immediate department must be submitted alongside a tax clearance certificate covering the last six months.

The defendant was further mandated to surrender his valid international passports and directed not to travel out of the country without permission.

Justice Abdulmalik ordered the defendant to report to the headquarters of the Department of State Services, DSS, every last Friday of the month by 10 a.m. to sign an attendance register, pending the determination of the case. The former governor was also directed to submit a letter of attestation from the Chairman of the Kaduna Traditional Council.

The trial judge warned that failure to comply with any of the conditions would lead to an automatic revocation of the bail.

Expressing its position on the travails of the former governor, the ADC, in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said “What is happening to Mallam El-Rufai confirms beyond all doubt that this detention is no longer about justice, it is about politics.

“It also confirms our fears that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is deploying the instruments of state power to keep one of the leading opposition figures out of circulation. This is political persecution dressed up as prosecution.”

ADC also drew comparisons between El-Rufai’s case and those involving former Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, and former Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, both facing separate corruption allegations.

“When placed beside other high-profile cases, the contrast becomes stark and shameful. Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi State, has been accused in an alleged N80.2 billion money laundering case.

‘’Ifeanyi Okowa, former governor of Delta State, was arrested over the alleged diversion of N1.3 trillion in derivation funds. But today, they are walking around free, singing President Tinubu’s campaign song,” the ADC statement noted.

However, unconfirmed feelers reaching The Boss have it that El-Rufai’s incarceration has a lot to do with keeping him away from the face politics till after the 2027 General elections. The truth, or otherwise behind the postulation remains to be seen. Nigerians have to wait till the former governor’s next appearance in court by September 2026, to determine the direction of his freedom.

Headline

Mary Habila’s Death: Tinubu Has Failed Comprehensively, Disgracefully – Atiku

Published

4 days ago

July 16, 2026

Eric

By Eric Elezuo

A former Vice President, and Presidential Candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has lashed out at the administration of President Bola Tinubu over its prolonged silence on the death of a medical practitioner, Mary Habila, who died at the residence of the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi.

Atiku condemned the inability of the Tinubu-led government from making any pronouncements or instituting any form of probe to unravel the cause of death since the sad incident occurred on June 27, 2026, saying the administration has failed comprehensively and disgracefully.

Atiku’s remarks are contained in a statement he released on his social platforms endorsed with his regular AA.

While not casting any blame on any particular person or entity, Atiku maintained that condolences are not enough,but must be accompanied by thorough investigation into the circumstances that led to the death of the 26 years old medical practitioner in her prime.

The former Vice President therefore called for a “credible, independent, and transparent investigation” to establish the truth, noting that “it is the refusal of the Federal Government to guarantee such an investigation that constitutes the scandal before us”.

The statement in full:

I have followed with deep sorrow and mounting concern the reports surrounding the death of Miss Mary Habila, a 26-year-old Nigerian from Nok, Southern Kaduna, who died on June 27, 2026, within the private residence of the Honourable Minister of Works, Senator David Umahi, in Uburu, Ebonyi State.

First, I extend my heartfelt condolences to the Habila family. No family should have to mourn a daughter taken in the prime of her life while also fighting simply to learn the truth of how she died.

But condolences are not enough. Nigerians deserve answers, and it is on this score that the Tinubu administration has failed, comprehensively and disgracefully.

Consider the facts that are not in dispute. A young woman died in the residence of a serving Federal Minister. For nearly two weeks, neither the Minister, nor the police, nor any arm of government said a word to the Nigerian people. It took the courage of Sahara Reporters to bring this death into public view. Three weeks after her death, no autopsy has been performed. No cause of death has been established. The investigation remains domiciled in the very state where the Minister served two terms as Governor and where his influence is beyond question.

And through all of this, silence from the Presidency. Silence from the Federal Executive Council. Silence from the Inspector-General of Police. Silence from the National Assembly. Not one word. Not one directive. Not one gesture to assure Nigerians that the life of Mary Habila matters to this government.

Instead, the Minister has been permitted to manage the narrative of a death that occurred under his own roof: issuing statements through his personal aides, deploying his private lawyers to correspond with the police, and continuing his official duties as though nothing has happened, while civil society groups, youth organisations, and the family’s own community cry out for an independent inquiry.

Let me be clear: I make no pronouncement on anyone’s guilt or innocence. That is precisely the point. Only a credible, independent, and transparent investigation can establish the truth, and it is the refusal of the Federal Government to guarantee such an investigation that constitutes the scandal before us.

A government’s first duty is the protection of life. Where a life is lost in circumstances touching a high official of state, the burden on government to act transparently is at its heaviest.

President Tinubu’s administration has instead treated this tragedy as an inconvenience to be waited out. If the death of a young Nigerian woman in a Minister’s residence cannot stir this government to act, then Nigerians must ask: whose life, exactly, does this government value?

I therefore demand the following: One, President Bola Tinubu must direct the Honourable Minister of Works to step aside immediately, pending the conclusion of investigations. This is not a punishment; it is the minimum standard of public accountability in any serious democracy. No official under this cloud should preside over a federal ministry as though it were business as usual.

Two, the Inspector-General of Police must immediately transfer the investigation from the Ebonyi State Command to Force Headquarters, with the involvement of independent forensic experts. No investigation conducted in the shadow of the Minister’s home-state influence can command public confidence.

Three, a full, independent, and internationally credible autopsy must be conducted without further delay, with the findings made public. The stalemate over the post-mortem, three weeks after this young woman’s death is an indictment of every institution involved.

Four, the family of Mary Habila must be protected from any pressure, inducement, or intimidation, and must be guaranteed unfettered access to the facts of their daughter’s death.

The measure of a nation is how it responds when the powerful are touched by tragedy and the powerless demand truth. Mary Habila was somebody’s daughter, somebody’s sister, a young professional with her life ahead of her. She was a Nigerian. Her death must not be reduced to a footnote of political convenience.

Nigeria will work again, but only when the life of every Nigerian counts, and when no one, however highly placed, stands beyond the reach of accountability.

May the soul of Mary Habila rest in peace. May her family find justice. -AA