Alleged ₦432bn debt: El Rufai drags Kaduna House of Assembly to court
Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has dragged the state House of Assembly to court over alleged ₦432 billion debt left by his administration.
El-Rufai filed the suit on violation of a fundamenatal rights at Federal High Court in Kaduna on Wednesday.
The suit, filed by the ex-governor’s lawyer Abdulhakeem Mustapha, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, dismissed the report of the Kaduna Assembly Committee which indicted El-Rufai for alleged corruption.
Consequently, El-Rufai asked the court to declare the report of the Assembly probe as null and void having not been given the opportunity of fair hearing over the allegations levelled against him and his administration by the committee.
He joined the Kaduna State House of Assembly and state Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice as respondents in the suit.
Earlier in June, the ad hoc committee of the state House of Assembly indicted El Rufai on finances, loans and contracts awarded under the former governor’s administration submitted.
The chairman of the ad hoc committee, Henry Zacharia, 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 Speaker of the Assembly, Yusuf Liman, also said a total ₦423 billion was allegedly siphoned by the El-Rufai’s administration leaving the state with huge liabilities.
The committee, therefore, recommended the investigation and prosecution of El-Rufai, and some members of his cabinet by security and anti-corruption agencies for alleged abuse of office, diversion of public funds and money laundering.
The committee also recommended the immediate suspension of the Commissioner of Finance, Shizer Badda, who also served in the same capacity under the El-Rufai’s administration.
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