If Nasir El-Rufai committed corruption as governor, then prosecute him. Charge him. Present evidence in court. Let the law speak. That is what Nigerians have been demanding for years, accountability, not noise.
But what are we seeing instead?
A court granted approval for a medical consultation. He saw his doctor. Then we are told the personal physician was arrested because political associates allegedly visited during that appointment.
Seriously? This is how serious anti-corruption work is reduced to theatre. While the substantive allegations remain in the background, agencies are now busy chasing the optics of a doctor’s office visit.
The signals are worse. An opposition figure denied bail on charges that are ordinarily bailable. Movements tightly restricted. Then a doctor in custody over who came to see a patient. The message to many Nigerians is clear: the goal may not be conviction, but to make the process itself the punishment.
This is exactly how institutions lose credibility. The law must never be a weapon for political score-settling. Once anti-corruption bodies are seen as tools against critics while allies walk free, they stop commanding respect and start breeding suspicion.
Democracy is not measured by how a government treats its friends. It is measured by how it treats its opponents.
President Tinubu’s administration must remember: political competition is not a crime. Opposition is not treason. Disagreement is not corruption.
If El-Rufai is guilty, convict him through due process. If he is not, stop turning procedure into spectacle.
Because when the state looks more interested in embarrassing opponents than proving cases, the damage outlives one man. It kills public trust in justice itself.
Today it is El-Rufai. Tomorrow, it could be anyone who stands on the other side.
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bcradle@ymail.com
