Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai has called on the opposition to mobilise ahead of the 2027 presidential election to unseat the “tyrannical” administration of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Mr El-Rufai, a stalwart of the coalition-backed African Democratic Congress, spoke on Thursday when he hosted former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar shortly after his attempted arrest at the airport by security agencies.

“We have reduced security agencies to be arms of a political party, and this government has noticed it is unelectable and wants to remain in power at all costs. I assure you that what has happened (at the airport) has further reinforced my belief that we must work hard, we must not sleep between now and March 2027 until we remove these tyrants,” Mr El-Rufai said.

Describing his attempted arrest at the airport on Thursday as “unfortunate and totally unnecessary”, Mr El-Rufai explained that the security agencies ignored due process. He alleged that the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission enlisted operatives of the State Security Service to detain him despite no formal invitation by the agency for questioning.

“What happened at the airport (yesterday), as you correctly observed, is unfortunate and totally unnecessary. Probably, criminal as well, because agencies have rules of engagement. And all I asked for, give me a letter of invitation and I will visit your office.

“But it turned out that it was the ICPC that procured the DSS and handed me over to them. The ICPC has never contacted me or sort to invite me up to the point that we are at the airport. The EFCC had written inviting me, and I was out of the country. My lawyers wrote to them that I will be returning and I will be there on Monday by 10 am.

“But ICPC I had never heard anything from them. We understand that it was the ICPC and not the EFCC that was responsible for what happened and the ICPC chairman was acting on the direct orders of Nuhu Ribadu, the National Security Adviser,” Mr El-Rufai added.