Alleged N432 billion Fraud: El-Rufai sues Kaduna government, Assembly

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has sued the state government and the state House of Assembly for alleged infringement of his rights while investigating financial management by his administration between 2015 and 2023.

Mr El-Rufai asked the Federal High Court to declare unconstitutional the report of the state assembly indicting him of mismanaging about N423 billion from loans obtained by his administration.

The state House of Assembly had adopted the report of its ad-hoc committee that indicted Mr El-Rufai of fraud and demanded his prosecution.

The lawmakers accused the ex-governor of mismanaging about N432 billion from loans obtained by his administration.

The report alleged that the loans were not used for their intended purposes and that, in some cases, due process was not followed in securing the loans.

On Wednesday, Mr El-Rufai, who served as governor for two terms between 2015 and 2023, filed a fundamental rights enforcement case at the Federal High Court in Kaduna.

His spokesperson, Muyiwa Adekeye, said in a statement that Mr El-Rufai was at the court to sign the affidavit supporting his case.

“His lawyer, AU Mustapha SAN, said that El-Rufai approached the court as a Nigerian citizen who is entitled to be given a fair hearing before his rights can be determined by a quasi-judicial or investigative body or courts in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.

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“El-Rufai also asked the court to declare that by the provisions of Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, the Report of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Investigation of Loans, Financial Transactions, Contractual Liabilities and Other Related Matters of the Government of Kaduna State from 29 May 2015 to 29 May 2023, as ratified by the Kaduna State House of Assembly, is unconstitutional and therefore null and void for violating his right to fair hearing as guaranteed under the Constitution”, Mr Adekeye said in the statement.