By Dennis Okechukwu
Former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Atona O’dua of Yorubaland, Chief Olabode George, has called for the immediate release of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, warning that stringent bail conditions should not become a tool for denying him his constitutional rights.
In a strongly worded statement titled, “The Court Must Remain the Hope of the People: The El-Rufai Matter and the Soul of Justice,” George said Nigeria was at a critical point between upholding the rule of law and allowing the “rule of power” to prevail.
The elder statesman described bail as a constitutional right founded on justice, fairness and the presumption of innocence, insisting that no citizen should suffer punishment before conviction.
George said although he and El-Rufai belong to different political parties, he considers the former governor “a son,” adding that he could not remain silent in the face of what he described as injustice.
He recalled that before the death of El-Rufai’s mother, there were alleged political efforts to frustrate his bail, noting that the former governor was only temporarily released to attend the burial before being moved between courts while arguments over his bail application continued.
While welcoming Monday’s decision by Justice Joyce Abdulmalik of the Federal High Court to grant El-Rufai bail, George expressed concern over what he described as “stringent conditions” attached to the ruling.
He said: “I am not asking for special treatment for El-Rufai but he must not be denied bail again because of these conditions. We are asking only that the laws of the Federal Republic of Nigeria be applied fairly, without fear, bias, intimidation or political persecution. A nation cannot claim to uphold democracy while citizens are denied the protections guaranteed by its own Constitution and by the principles of fundamental human rights.
“To the judiciary, history will remember not merely the judgements delivered, but whether courage stood beside justice in difficult times. The court remains the last hope of the common man, and that sacred trust must never be weakened by silence in the face of obvious injustice.
To the President and all custodians of state power, true leadership is demonstrated not by the strength to punish opponents, but by the wisdom to protect justice even for those with differing views.
“We therefore call for fairness, due process, and immediate respect for the constitutional rights of every citizen. No democracy survives when justice is selective. No nation prospers when truth is imprisoned.
“May justice speak louder than politics, and may the rule of law prevail over every form of oppression.
“We therefore state clearly and without hesitation that continued detention in circumstances where bail ought to apply offends both the spirit and the letter of the law. Justice cannot coexist with indefinite punishment before conviction. The law must not bend according to political convenience or selective interests. Where constitutional provisions and human rights principles demand liberty pending trial, that liberty must be granted.”
The PDP chieftain warned that continued detention where bail ought to apply would offend both the spirit and letter of the law, adding that justice could not coexist with “indefinite punishment before conviction.”
He called for El-Rufai’s release “forthwith,” insisting that history would judge whether the law stood firm in defence of justice or allowed injustice to prevail through silence.