Atiku picks El-Rufai for ADC campaign team, Dele Momodu explains

A member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Dele Momodu, has shared why former Vice President Atiku Abubakar chose former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai as deputy chairman of his 2027 Presidential Campaign Council. Momodu said the decision partly honors El-Rufai's sacrifices.

Momodu, who is the Deputy Director-General of the campaign’s Media and Communications Directorate, spoke on Channels Television’s The Morning Brief on Friday. Atiku revealed his campaign council on Thursday, naming Kashim Ibrahim-Imam as chairman and El-Rufai as deputy.

Momodu explained El-Rufai’s appointment. He said, “It is a way of honouring his sacrifice because his travails, I can say, are quite political in nature.” He noted that El-Rufai returned to Nigeria knowing he might face arrest, showing his commitment to the country.

“He’s being held down not because he has committed any crime. He could have stayed away from the country. He chose to come back to the country. He knew he was going to be arrested, and he was arrested,” Momodu said.

El-Rufai is currently facing legal proceedings but has denied any wrongdoing. Momodu criticized the bail conditions set for the former governor, calling them excessive. “The bail conditions given to him are so horrendous that even his enemies would wonder why he has to go through such a painful experience in the hands of a government that he helped to midwife,” he said.

Momodu also mentioned El-Rufai’s political influence. He claimed the former governor played a key role in helping President Bola Ahmed Tinubu win the 2023 presidential election. “If not for him, I’m sure President Bola Tinubu would not be in office today,” Momodu said.

The ADC chieftain added that including El-Rufai in the campaign shows his political importance as the opposition party gets ready for the 2027 general elections. The campaign council also features former APC National Chairman John Oyegun, Momodu, Dino Melaye, and other political figures and party stakeholders.