‘A caged lion is still a lion’: Doka urges Nigerians to avenge El-Rufai’s treatment with their votes

Mohammed Bello Doka urged Nigerians to use their votes in the 2027 general elections to express their displeasure over the prolonged detention of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai. In a statement posted Thursday on El-Rufai’s X account, Doka said El-Rufai had voluntarily presented himself to the EFCC and then the ICPC on February 18, 2026, and alleged political motives for his detention; the cited claims were not independently substantiated. Doka urged voters to remain peaceful, reject intimidation and material inducements, and mobilise to protect their votes.