Former Governor of Kaduna State Nasir El-Rufai has launched a legal challenge against the State legislature in response to their recommendation for a probe into his administration.
El-Rufai, who governed Kaduna from 2015 to 2023, is contesting a hefty accusation: the alleged diversion of a staggering N423 billion (U.S.$279,180,000) in public funds. He filed a fundamental rights lawsuit through his lawyer, Abdulhakeem Mustapha, at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on Wednesday.
The crux of the lawsuit revolves around El-Rufai’s claim that the House of Assembly’s report, which triggered the probe recommendation, is unconstitutional. El-Rufai argues the report infringed on his right to a fair hearing.
This comes after the Assembly, on June 5, 2024, based its recommendation on a report compiled by an ad-hoc committee that investigated the state’s finances under his eight-year leadership.
El-Rufai’s legal team argues that the report’s allegations are baseless and politically motivated, and that the Assembly’s investigation was conducted without granting him adequate opportunity to respond to the allegations or defend himself.
The former governor, who has consistently denied any misconduct, is seeking a court declaration that the report is null and void and that the Assembly’s findings are ultra vires, or beyond its legal powers.
—Ezinwanne Onwuka reports for TruthNigeria from Abuja.
