Atiku Abubakar has condemned the Federal High Court’s refusal to review bail conditions for ex-Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai.
The ADC presidential candidate called the conditions “practically impossible” and warned the federal government of weaponizing legal processes against opponents.
Atiku, through his aide Phrank Shaibu, said courts must exercise bail discretion judiciously. He argued excessive or unachievable conditions defeat bail’s purpose and amount to detention through procedure, not punishment before conviction.
He questioned bail terms requiring a serving GL 17 federal civil servant and verifiable property in Maitama or Asokoro.
in addition to a maze of other requirements. Atiku warned that the implications of such precedents extend beyond El-Rufai’s case.
“This is not merely about one individual. It is about the principles that underpin a democratic society governed by the rule of law. Today it is El-Rufai. Tomorrow it could be any citizen whose liberty depends not on the law but on whether he can satisfy conditions that few Nigerians can ever meet,” he said.
“Bail conditions should secure attendance in court, not guarantee continued incarceration,” he said.
He argued that when a citizen is told he has been granted bail but is simultaneously subjected to conditions that make release virtually impossible, such a situation constitutes a constructive denial of bail that undermines the spirit of the Constitution.
“The question of guilt or innocence is entirely for the courts to determine. What concerns every patriot is whether constitutional safeguards are being faithfully upheld.
“The right to liberty, the presumption of innocence, and the right to fair hearing are not privileges to be dispensed at convenience. They are constitutional guarantees.
“Nigeria’s democracy is strongest when justice is blind to politics, immune from pressure, and accessible to all. Anything less diminishes us as a nation,” he declared.
