By Achadu Gabriel, Kaduna
The former Governor of Kaduna State, Mal. Nasir El-Rufai, has filed a defamation lawsuit against the Kaduna State House of Assembly.
The lawsuit was presented today, Wednesday, at the Federal High Court in Kaduna state, by the former governor.
El-Rufai is demanding a public apology from the lawmakers for a report they published, which he claims defamed him and his cabinet.
The State Assembly’s Ad- hoc committee report had indicted El-rufai, alleging that the former Governor misappropriated over ₦423 billion and laundered public funds during his tenure.
El-Rufai’s legal team argued that the report is both false and malicious, designed to tarnish his reputation and discredit his administration’s achievements. It assert that the allegations have caused significant harm to his personal and professional standing.
The former Governor, noted for his developmental policies and efforts to improve infrastructure and education in Kaduna State, has consistently defended his administration’s transparency and commitment to public service.
He maintained that the Assembly’s allegations are politically motivated and lack any substantive evidence.
The legal proceedings have drawn significant attention, with many awaiting the court’s decision on the matter.
The outcome of this case could have substantial implications for El-Rufai’s political future and the current political landscape in Kaduna State.
Malam Nasir El-Rufai was at the Federal High Court, Kaduna, Wednesday to sign the affidavit supporting his fundamental rights enforcement case against the Kaduna State House of Assembly and the Kaduna State Government.
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 former Governor’s Media Adviser, Muyiwa Adekeye, disclosed these in the statement of fundamental rights enforcement case files he signed, dated 26 June 2024, in Kaduna.
