Nigeria’s political scene faces a fresh wave of tension as former Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State, on Wednesday, filed a lawsuit against the State House of Assembly.
The lawsuit challenges the Assembly’s decision to investigate alleged misappropriation of N432 billion ($1 billion USD) in public funds.
The Kaduna State House of Assembly initiated the probe in May 2024, accusing the El-Rufai administration of mismanaging or diverting a significant portion of public funds. The specific details of the alleged misappropriation haven’t been made public yet.
However, El-Rufai has vehemently denied any wrongdoing and argues that the Assembly lacks the legal authority to launch such an investigation.
This was contained in a statement by the former governor’s media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, posted on his X handle on Wednesday.
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The lawsuit, filed by El-Rufai’s lawyer, Abdulhakeem Mustapha, contested the Kaduna Assembly Committee’s report, which accused El-Rufai of corruption.
Adekeye said, “His lawyer, AU Mustapha SAN, said that El-Rufai approached the court as a Nigerian citizen who is entitled to be given a fair hearing before his rights can be determined by a quasi-judicial or investigative body or courts in line with the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights.
“El-Rufai also asked the court to declare that by the provisions of Section 36 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, the Report of the Ad-Hoc Committee on Investigation of Loans, Financial Transactions, Contractual Liabilities and Other Related Matters of the Government of Kaduna State from 29 May 2015 to 29 May 2023, as ratified by the Kaduna State House of Assembly, is unconstitutional and therefore null and void for violating his right to fair hearing as guaranteed under the Constitution.”
The Kaduna State High Court is expected to hear the case in the coming weeks. A legal battle could significantly delay or even derail the Assembly’s investigation. The outcome of the lawsuit will be closely watched, with implications for the balance of power between the executive and legislative branches in Kaduna and potentially setting a precedent for similar situations in other Nigerian states.
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