Supporters of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, have engaged a United States-based lobbying and advocacy organisation to raise international concerns over his ongoing prosecution by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).
The group, operating under the banner of the El-Rufai Support Group Association (ERSGA), disclosed the development in a statement issued on Wednesday.
According to the association, it has retained Washington, DC-based advocacy organisation, Vanguard Africa, to lead engagements with stakeholders in the United States and the international community regarding what it described as concerns over the rule of law, due process and the state of democratic institutions in Nigeria.
ERSGA said the move is aimed at drawing global attention to the legal challenges facing the former governor, who is currently standing trial over allegations of abuse of office, financial misconduct and fraud linked to his tenure in Kaduna State.
The group noted that Vanguard Africa would coordinate outreach efforts targeting officials in the US administration, members of Congress, government agencies, pro-democracy institutions and multilateral organisations. It added that the arrangement is documented in a regulatory filing published in the United States.
Defending El-Rufai, the association insisted that the allegations against him are baseless and maintained that the former governor remains innocent of all charges.
“Nasir El-Rufai is an accomplished reformer and senior statesman with decades of public service. According to media reports, since mid-February he has been detained by the ICPC, while courts have repeatedly delayed bail hearings,” the statement said.
The group further alleged that there were procedural irregularities in the handling of the case and argued that the former governor’s treatment reflects broader concerns about the health of Nigeria’s democratic institutions.
“The treatment of Governor El-Rufai is not an isolated incident—it is a symptom of a deeper crisis threatening Nigeria’s democratic institutions,” the statement added.
