Nasir El-Rufai Sues Kaduna State House of Assembly Over Corruption Allegations
Kaduna, Nigeria – Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai has taken legal action against the Kaduna State House of Assembly following accusations that N432 billion was siphoned during his eight-year tenure, leaving the state heavily in debt.
El-Rufai filed a fundamental rights lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on Wednesday, challenging the Assembly’s claims. Represented by Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) Abdulhakeem Mustapha, El-Rufai contested the findings of the Assembly’s ad hoc committee, which accused him of corruption.
The ad hoc committee was tasked with investigating the finances, loans, and contracts awarded during El-Rufai’s administration. Their report implicated El-Rufai and several of his appointees.
In response, El-Rufai’s media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, condemned the report as false and scandalous. “We are aware of news that the Kaduna State House of Assembly has adopted the report of the ad hoc committee it asked to probe the El-Rufai government. We have not been provided with a copy of the report, to which we would respond robustly whenever we obtain it. We affirm the integrity of the El-Rufai government and dismiss the scandalous claims being aired as the report of the committee,” Adekeye stated.
In his lawsuit, El-Rufai seeks a court declaration that the report of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Investigation of Loans, Financial Transactions, Contractual Liabilities, and Other Related Matters from May 29, 2015, to May 29, 2023, as ratified by the Kaduna State House of Assembly, is unconstitutional. He argues that it violates his right to a fair hearing as guaranteed under Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999. Consequently, he requests that the report be declared null and void.
