El-Rufai’s Aide Explains Visitors’ Presence During Hospital Appointment, Challenges ICPC

Media aide to former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Muyiwa Adekeye, has rejected allegations that his principal breached any court directive during his recent visit to the National Hospital in Abuja.

According to Ireporter Online, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) had detained El-Rufai’s personal physician, Professor Bello Abubakar, over allegations that he provided false information regarding the former governor’s hospital visit.

However, Adekeye, in a statement issued on Thursday, described the ICPC’s claim that the medical appointment was turned into a political gathering as inaccurate and misleading.

The aide explained that the commission was already aware before July 6 that El-Rufai had requested access to his personal doctor for medical consultation. He also dismissed the claim that the former governor had no urgent medical concerns before the July 7 appointment, describing it as untrue.

Adekeye stated that El-Rufai’s family had initially arranged for the consultation to hold at 5pm on July 7, a time considered more suitable due to reduced activity at the hospital. According to him, the ICPC later changed the appointment time to 10am without prior agreement with the family.

He explained that after meeting with his personal physician, an oncologist, in a private consultation room, El-Rufai remained in the private wing’s public area for about an hour while waiting for a written medical report requested by the commission.

Adekeye said some individuals became aware of the former governor’s presence at the hospital and requested to see him, while others who noticed him in the area approached him for greetings, describing such interactions as normal whenever a prominent figure is seen in public.

The aide argued that the ICPC’s description of the visit as a political event failed to acknowledge the commission’s role in determining the timing and supervision of the appointment.

He maintained that the commission changed the scheduled evening appointment to a busy morning period and had its personnel present throughout the visit, insisting that claims of a politically organised gathering were unsupported by the circumstances surrounding the medical trip.

Adekeye further faulted the ICPC for alleging that El-Rufai violated a court-approved medical arrangement without clearly stating the specific terms of the alleged order.

He said the Kaduna State High Court’s directive only granted El-Rufai access to medical care while in custody and did not place restrictions on individuals who could interact with him during the process.

According to him, no court order was presented by the commission detailing any prohibition on visitors during the medical consultation, adding that the existing order issued by Justice Aikawa on April 1, 2026, only addressed access to medical treatment.

Adekeye called for the immediate and unconditional release of Professor Bello Abubakar, pending the ICPC’s clarification of the specific allegations against him.