The wives of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-rufai’s, have appealed to President Bola Tinubu to intervene in what they described as their family’s “ordeal”, urging that the former governor be granted bail on reasonable terms and allowed unrestricted access to medical care, lawyers and family members.
Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, Asiya el-Rufai, flanked by another wife of the former governor, Aichatou, said the family was not asking the President to interfere with the ongoing judicial process or stop his prosecution, but only to ensure that his constitutional rights were respected.
The appeal followed the arrest of Professor Bello Abubakar, el-Rufai’s personal physician, by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
Earlier on Tuesday, the ICPC, through its spokesperson, Okor Odey, alleged that el-Rufai and his doctor abused privileges granted to them and violated a court order relating to the former governor’s medical consultation.
Responding to the development, Asiya appealed directly to President Tinubu, recalling the support she said she and her husband gave during the 2023 presidential election campaign.
“Mr. President sir, I campaigned for you. I stood up and went to every nook and cranny of Kaduna State for you. My husband stood by your side. Is this what our family deserves?” she said in a report by The Cable newspaper.
She urged the President to use his office to ensure that what she described as the family’s suffering comes to an end.
“The ball is in your court, Mr. President. All these can stop if you say a word. We believe that you are a father and we know you can empathise.”
