Former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, said that he had a premonition of imminent arrest by the APC-led Federal Government.

El-Rufai, now a prominent figure in the opposition African Democratic Congress (ADC), made the allegation during an interview with BBC Hausa on Wednesday.

He also accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of mounting pressure on politicians to either defect to the party or remain within its fold.

El-Rufai has in recent months intensified his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration and the APC — the platform under which he governed Kaduna State for eight years, said that some of his associates have already been detained.

“Four people we worked with in Kaduna have been arrested; so it’s only a matter of time before they come for me too,” he stated.

El-Rufai’s remarks come against the backdrop of the arrest and ongoing trial of former Attorney-General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami.

Former vice president Atiku Abubakar urged the Senate to give Nigerian electorates what they wanted ,warning that including both manual and electronic transmission of results in the bill will cause further confusion.

Atiku called on the lawmakers the previous day when he visited ex-military President Ibrahim Babangida alongside Oyo State Governor ,Seyi Makinde, at his home in Minna, Niger State.

He said:

” Nigerians were expecting real-time electronic transfer to the various levels of the elections. But what we got is a mixture of electronic and manual transmission, which is going to cause more confusion or chaos,” the chieftain of the African Democratic Congress (APC) told reporters after the visit.

“At this point, this is not about me contesting elections. It is about Nigerians who want electronic transmission of election results,” he said.

The African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kano State have announced that they will not participate in the state assembly by-elections scheduled for February 21, by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Similarly, the Kano State Chairman of the PDP, Yusuf Ado Kibiya, announced that his party would also boycott the polls, citing what he described as inadequate notice by INEC.

The ADC State Chairman, Musa Shu’aibu Ungoggo, said the party decided to boycott the exercise because it had no confidence in the credibility of the process.

“The party believes the by-elections would amount to an “appointment” rather than a genuine electoral contest,” he said .

Ungoggo said he had personally observed several previous by-elections, which he described as a waste of time, adding that the ADC was focusing its energy on preparations for the 2027 general elections.

He further alleged that some political parties contesting the by-elections were doing so under the influence of the ruling party in the state.

Ungoggo claimed that he was approached to involve the ADC in the race but turned down the offer, insisting that the party would not be part of what he described as the “drama” associated with by-elections.

Kibiya said the timeframe given to the party was too short to allow for proper preparation and effective participation.

“Although we have written to INEC, we have not received any response. I have also informed the party headquarters about the situation,” he said.“Therefore, I want to inform our members that we will not be participating in the upcoming by-elections.”