Former Governor of Kaduna state, Malam Nasir el-Rufai, Wednesday, filed a lawsuit against Kaduna State House of Assembly and Kaduna state government challenging the report of a ₦432 billion investigating Ad-hoc committee.
El-Rufai, in the fundamental human rights suit filed by his lawyer, Abdulhakeem Mustapha (SAN), at the Federal High Court Kaduna, faulted the report of the Kaduna Assembly Committee, which indicted him and some of his aides for alleged corruption and mismanagement of fund, while seeking the enforcement of his fundamental human right of fair hearing.
The former governor, who was physically present at the Federal High Court, Kaduna, was accompanied by some of the commissioners who served in his government, such as former Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Hafsat Mohammed Baba, former Commissioner for Environment Hon. Ibrahim Hussaini, and former Head of Service, Hajia Bara’atu Mohammed among others.
Giving further insight into the lawsuit, the media aide to the former governor, Mr. Muyiwa Adekeye, said el-Rufai was at the Federal High Court, Kaduna, to sign the affidavit supporting his fundamental rights enforcement case against the Kaduna State House of Assembly and the Kaduna state government.
Adekeye, who spoke in a statement he issued immediately after departing the Court, said the former governor asked the court to declare the House of Assembly’s Ad-hoc committee report of his eight years governance null and void for violating his right to fair hearing as guaranteed under the Constitution.
According to the statement, “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.”
Governor Uba Sani had on March 30, 2024, told a town hall meeting that the state faced a substantial debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities inherited from the previous administration. “This has led to over 70% of the state’s allocation being used to service the inherited debt.”
In response, Kaduna State House of Assembly formed an ad-hoc committee to investigate the state’s financial transactions from May 29th, 2015 to May 29th, 2023. The committee, led by Barr. Henry Danjuma Magaji, submitted its findings on June 5th, 2024, revealing alleged significant unaccounted funds and irregularities in financial transactions. The report indicated mismanagement of funds, diversion of loans, overpayment of contractors, and lack of transparency in the usage of state funds.
The Kaduna State House of Assembly adopted the report and indicted former governor el-Rufai and several of his aides for allegedly siphoning N423billion.
