The ADC delegation included the party’s National Secretary, Rauf Aregbesola, National Publicity Secretary, Bolaji Abdullahi, and Secretary of the ADC Manifesto and Policy Committee, Salihu Lukman.

The party leaders were said to have visited the ICPC facility in Abuja in an attempt to meet El-Rufai but were reportedly denied entry. Details surrounding the incident remain unclear as of Friday afternoon.

The development comes days after the ICPC dismissed claims that El-Rufai was being denied access to food, family members, and medical care while in detention.

At a press briefing, ICPC spokesperson Okor Odey described the allegations as “false and misleading.”

He explained that visitors are allowed into ICPC detention facilities between 9:00 a.m. and 6:30 p.m., noting that El-Rufai’s wife reportedly arrived outside approved visiting hours.

Odey also stated that authorised visitors, including family members, lawyers, and medical personnel, are granted access under supervision.

However, the El-Rufai family had earlier alleged that the former governor was denied access to his personal doctors despite a Kaduna High Court order granting him unrestricted access to legal and medical practitioners.

They further claimed that the ICPC’s in-house doctor had recommended further medical evaluation before access was allegedly restricted.

A family member said, “When you see a doctor and you run tests, you are expected to see the doctor back so that he explains what the problem is.”

El-Rufai’s second wife, Hasiat, also alleged, “He was denied access to the doctor.”

In a complaint letter made available to journalists on Friday evening, Girei said he complied with all party guidelines, including appearing before the screening committee and participating fully in the screening process.

“However, to my utmost surprise, I discovered that the list released by the committee responsible for conducting the primary election omitted my name entirely without any explanation or stated reason,” he stated.

He explained that after his screening, he was neither informed of any disqualification nor any adverse decision affecting his eligibility, adding that he was also not invited to appear before the Post-Screening Appeal Committee.

“Therefore, throughout the process, there was nothing whatsoever to indicate that I had been disqualified or was otherwise excluded from participation in the primary election,” he added.

Girei argued that the omission raises serious concerns about fairness, transparency, and equal opportunity in the party’s internal democratic process, insisting that he was denied the chance to participate in the contest.

He further appealed to the National Chairman through the Adamawa State APC Appeal Committee to intervene by reviewing the circumstances surrounding his exclusion, reinstating his name on a revised list of cleared aspirants, and ordering a fresh primary election to ensure fairness.

His complaint was made public just hours after the APC announced Ahmed Tijani Galadima as the winner of the Adamawa governorship primary election.