A former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has condemned what he described as an illegal attempt by security operatives to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, following his arrival from Cairo, Egypt.

El-Rufai made this known in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Thursday, where he accused authorities of executive overreach and disregard for the rule of law.

“My lawyers have issued a statement that condemns the illegal attempt to arrest me today at the Abuja airport upon my arrival from Cairo,” El-Rufai wrote.“Our country must outgrow executive overreach particularly involving opposition figures and former public office holders, and deliberate disregard for the rule of law,” he added.

INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan has estimated a total of N873.778 billion for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, while requesting N171 billion for its 2026 operational budget.

Amupitan made the projection on Thursday when he presented the Commission’s budget proposals before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters.

He clarified that the nearly N874 billion earmarked for 2027 polls is separate from the 2026 budget, which covers routine operations, by-elections, and off-cycle polls.

The 2027 election budget is structured into five major components: N379.748 billion for operational expenses, N92.317 billion for administrative costs, N209.206 billion for technology, N154.905 billion for capital expenditure, and N42.608 billion for miscellaneous items.

The projection does not include a pending request by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for an upward review of allowances for corps members deployed as ad-hoc election staff.

Security agents today at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, attempted to arrest former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt

Ohibaba.com reported the previous day that El-Rufai, in an interview with BBC Hausa, said he could be arrested in Nigeria at any time.

He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of pressuring politicians to either align with the party or face political consequences.

El-Rufai also claimed that some of his associates had 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 said

Regarding today’s incident, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai’s media aide, confirmed that ” As he arrived at the airport, security agents approached him, but Malam El-Rufai declined to follow them without a formal invitation. They, however, snatched his international passport from an aide.”