Alleged N432bn Fraud: El-Rufai Drags Kaduna Assembly To Court

Former Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir Elrufai has instituted a lawsuit against the State House of Assembly over a recent allegation that his eight-year administration allegedly siphoned ₦432 billion, thereby leaving the state with huge debt liabilities.

El-Rufai,on Wednesday also filed a fundamental rights suit at the Federal High Court in Kaduna against the state House of Assembly.

In the suit filed on his behalf by his lawyer, Abdulhakeem Mustapha, SAN, El-Rufai is challenging the report of the Kaduna Assembly Committee indicting him for alleged corruption.

El-Rufai asked the court to declare the report of the Assembly probe panel as null and void, maintaining that he was not given the opportunity for a fair hearing over the allegations leveled against him and his administration by the committee.

Joined in the suit as respondents are the Kaduna State House of Assembly and the state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice.

LEADERSHIP reports the Kaduna State House of Assembly (KSHA) ad-hoc committee had released its report earlier in June where it indicted the former governor of siphoning N234 billion.

The chairman of the ad hoc committee, Henry Zacharia, while presenting the report to the Assembly, said most of the loans obtained under the El-Rufai’s administration were not used for the purpose for which they were obtained, while in some cases, due process was not followed in securing the loans.

The former governor in a swift response through his spokesperson, Muyiwa Adekeye, debunked the report and dismissed it as politically motivated.

“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,” Adekeye had said.

Former Director General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Salihu Lukman, and some former commissioners who served in the administration had also denounced the report which they claimed was threatening to damage the integrity and reputation of the El-Rufai’s administration.