Alleged Corruption: Ozekhome Says El-Rufai Must Get Fair Hearing

Human rights lawyer Mike Ozekhome has said the former governor of Kaduna State El-Rufai must be given a fair hearing in the probe of his administration.

A Kaduna House of Assembly committee, set up to probe the administration of the former governor of the state, had indicted El-Rufai on corruption charges and also made other recommendations.

Ozekhome, however, said  while the committee had done its job, it was only right to allow El-Rufai to defend himself against the charges.

“I think that whatever happens, El-Rufai must be given his right to a fair hearing. The assembly has just merely made a recommendation and told the governor to implement it,” Ozekhome said on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily on Thursday.

He added, “The governor may look at it and, and feel well, ‘This is not worth the energy at the time. Let’s face other [things]’. Others may say, ‘N423 billion they are accusing him of is not a small amount; let’s dig in.’ So, whatever the outcome would be, don’t forget that El-Rufai also has its own fundamental rights to protect. For example, he may decide to go to court to challenge the indictment itself.

“Maybe you could say he was not given a fair trial. He was never called. I don’t know whether he was called to come and defend himself,” he said.

Ozekhome asked: “Was he duly invited? Was he given an opportunity to defend himself? If he was and he chose to stay back, that’s another ball game. So, because I do not have all those duties, it becomes peremptory for me to [comment on it]

“You don’t indict a person by proxy.  No, you don’t, particularly in a matter that has criminal connotations. You can’t do that by proxy. So, it has to be the person,” the lawyer said.