Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai has taken legal action against the Kaduna State House of Assembly, disputing allegations that his administration mismanaged N432 billion and left the state burdened with substantial debts.
El-Rufai filed a fundamental rights enforcement case at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on June 26. In person, he argued that the Assembly's committee failed to provide him with a fair hearing before accusing him of corruption. Represented by his lawyer, Abdulhakeem Mustapha, El-Rufai challenged the validity of the Kaduna Assembly Committee's report, which accused him of financial misconduct.
According to Muyiwa Adekeye, spokesperson for the former governor, El-Rufai approached the court as a Nigerian citizen entitled to due process under the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.
El-Rufai requested the court to declare the report of the Kaduna State House of Assembly's Ad-Hoc Committee on Investigation of Loans, Financial Transactions, Contractual Liabilities, and Other Related Matters from May 29, 2015, to May 29, 2023, as unconstitutional and null and void. He argued that the report violated his right to a fair hearing as guaranteed by Section 36 of the Constitution.
Earlier in June, the Assembly's ad-hoc committee submitted its investigative findings on El-Rufai's administration, alleging mismanagement of loans, financial transactions, and contracts. Committee chairman Henry Zacharia highlighted misuse of loans secured during El-Rufai's tenure and noted procedural irregularities in their acquisition. Assembly Speaker Yusuf Liman claimed that El-Rufai's administration misappropriated N423 billion, causing significant financial strain on the state.
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