Former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has told the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) that the investigation against him is politically driven.
The anti-graft agency is currently probing the former governor over alleged financial misconduct during his administration between 2015 and 2023.
El-Rufai, who previously served as minister of the Federal Capital Territory, has been in ICPC custody since February 19 after being released by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Investigators obtained written statements from the former governor as part of routine procedure. The handwritten statements, dated February 19 and February 20, 2026, were later attached to a counter-affidavit filed by an ICPC officer in response to a suit instituted by El-Rufai at the FCT High Court.
In the suit, the former governor challenged the legality of a search carried out at his residence in Abuja on February 19.
Both statements, seen by TheCable, were reportedly taken in the presence of his lawyer, Ubong Akpan.
In the statement dated February 19, El-Rufai argued that the investigation was prompted by his political affiliation, claiming he is a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), which he described as “the only surviving opposition party in Nigeria.”
He added that he would invoke his constitutional right to remain silent and would not respond to the questions posed by ICPC investigators. Instead, he urged the commission to present the outcome of its two-year investigation before a judicial tribunal.
In a follow-up statement dated February 20, the former governor again declined to answer the investigators’ questions, reiterating that he would only address the allegations in court.
