Nasir El-Rufai Sues Kaduna Assembly Over ₦432bn Fund Diversion Allegations

Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has sued the Kaduna State House of Assembly over allegations that his administration siphoned ₦432 billion, leaving the state in debt.

El-Rufai filed the lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on Wednesday, challenging the Assembly’s report that accused him of corruption.

His lawyer, Abdulhakeem Mustapha, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, argued that El-Rufai was not given a fair hearing and asked the court to declare the report null and void.

The lawsuit names the Kaduna State House of Assembly and the state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice as respondents.

Earlier in June, an ad hoc committee from the Assembly investigated the finances, loans, and contracts under El-Rufai’s administration and reported that many loans were misused and procedures were not followed.

The committee recommended the investigation and prosecution of El-Rufai and some of his cabinet members for alleged corruption and money laundering.

They also suggested suspending the current Commissioner of Finance, Shizer Badda, who served under El-Rufai.

El-Rufai’s spokesman, Muyiwa Adekeye, dismissed the committee’s claims as “scandalous” and defended El-Rufai’s record, stating that the probe was politically motivated and lacked fairness.

Adekeye assured that El-Rufai governed with integrity and adhered to all laws during his tenure.

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.”

KanyiDaily recalls that Nasir El-Rufai recently claimed that President Bola Tinubu Is paying more money to petrol subsidy than before.