Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has filed a lawsuit against the Kaduna State House of Assembly.
This move comes after the Assembly accused El-Rufai’s administration of embezzling ₦432 billion and leaving the state with huge debt obligations.
El-Rufai’s legal team, led by Abdulhakeem Mustapha, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, filed the fundamental rights suit at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on Wednesday.
The lawsuit challenges the report submitted by the Kaduna Assembly Committee, which alleged corruption against El-Rufai and his administration.
The committee’s report, presented in June, claimed that El-Rufai’s administration mismanaged loans and contracts, and recommended his prosecution, along with some cabinet members, for alleged abuse of office, diversion of public funds, and money laundering. The report accused the administration of siphoning ₦423 billion, leaving the state with huge liabilities.
The committee also recommended the immediate suspension of the Commissioner of Finance, Shizer Badda, who also served under El-Rufai’s administration.
However, El-Rufai’s legal team argues that the report was compiled without giving the former governor a fair hearing, and therefore, should be declared null and void.
The lawsuit names the Kaduna State House of Assembly and the state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice as respondents.
El-rufai through his spokesman, Muyiwa Adekeye, had earlier dismissed as “scandalous”, the claims by the committee.
He said, “Malam Nasir El-Rufai is immensely proud of his record of governance and the legacy he left in Kaduna State. This record of consistently high performance in public and private office cannot be altered by any malicious effort to use the auspices of a state legislature for defamation and undeserved smears.
“Many of the officials who served in the El-Rufai government appeared before the ad-hoc committee because of their confidence in the quality of their service and the rectitude which they served Kaduna State. They were under no illusion that they were participating in a fair process. It was obvious that the ad hoc committee was merely going through the motions of an inquiry just to give some gloss to predetermined conclusions.
“It is sad to see such a shameful departure from any notion of decency and fairness by a state legislature. We dismiss with contempt the claims being peddled in connection with the report.
“Malam El-Rufai wishes to assure discerning Nigerians that he has served Kaduna State with integrity and to the best of his capacity, assisted by a hardworking and patriotic team. He complied with all extant laws in all his activities while he was the governor. This jaundiced probe should be disregarded as the politically motivated hatchet job it is.”
Isn’t it ironic that the The Governor who ignored Court Injunctions and rulings; going ahead to brazenly not only defy but to demolish houses with valid Certificates of Occupancy duly Approved by The Office of The State Governor- Is today going to Court….
Life.