El-Rufai's wife begs Tinubu: 'Is this what our family deserves?'

Hajiya Asiya El-Rufai, the wife of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, has made a direct emotional appeal to President Bola Tinubu over the treatment of her detained husband. Speaking at her Abuja residence on Tuesday evening, she reminded Tinubu of the support she and her husband gave him during the 2023 campaign and asked a simple question: 'Is this what our family deserves?'

According to Asiya, El-Rufai has been diagnosed with high blood pressure and high blood sugar and is being denied proper medical care. His personal physician, Prof. Bello Abubakar, was arrested by the ICPC on Tuesday. The family also alleges that orders from 'above' have restricted access to doctors and relatives, leaving them traumatized and living in constant fear. Asiya said: 'We live in constant fear that we will wake up and hear some bad news.'

She is not asking Tinubu to stop the prosecution or interfere with the court. She is asking for basic constitutional rights: access to medical care, family, lawyers, and bail on reasonable terms. 'If he is guilty, let the court decide; if he is innocent, let the court decide,' she said. The question is — will Tinubu say a word to stop what she calls psychological warfare, or will he let this play out as political score-settling?