Professor Chidi Odinkalu, former Chairman of the National Human Rights Commission, has said that while Nasir El-Rufai was governor of Kaduna State, he did some terrible things that he will not greenwash or whitewash but insisted that the current treatment of the former governor is manifestly unjust.
He argued that the judiciary is being instrumentalized in El-Rufai’s case and that he should be allowed basic constitutional guarantees as a Nigerian citizen.
Speaking in an interview on Mic on Podcast with Seun Okinbaloye, Odinkalu made this assertion while discussing El-Rufai’s situation, saying he doesn’t want to discuss it because the issues involve justice and how it is administered.
He acknowledged that many people view El-Rufai’s prosecution as deserved karma, comparing it to the former Code of Conduct Tribunal chairman who used a questionable order to remove the Chief Justice in 2019.
Odinkalu noted that El-Rufai’s victims are still alive and that he barely survived what the former governor planned to do, adding that El-Rufai was vocal in justifying the persecution of his opponents, both real and imagined.
Despite disagreeing with El-Rufai’s actions as governor, Odinkalu said he would not gloat over what is happening to him. He explained that he began his career representing victims killed by the police and defending people held under military decrees and therefore cannot support injustice simply because the victim is someone he disagrees with.
He stressed that the offenses El-Rufai is charged with are bailable, yet the conditions set effectively deny access to bail and keep him beneath the law under the appearance of legal procedure.
He added that power is transient and both El-Rufai and those prosecuting him should learn a lesson: today you have power, tomorrow you may not, so they should be careful what they do with it.
In his words, “I don’t really want to avoid discussing Nasir and his situation. But, you know, the issues involve justice and how justice is administered.”
“Now, as governor of Kaduna State, Nasir did some terrible things. And I’m not going to come here and greenwash or whitewash what he did. And a lot of people will look at the current situation and say he’s getting a deserved dose of karma…See_More
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