Former Governor Nasir El-Rufai has filed a lawsuit against the Kaduna State House of Assembly, challenging allegations that his administration embezzled N432 billion and left the state with significant debt obligations.
The suit, a fundamental rights enforcement case, was filed at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on Wednesday.
El-Rufai, who appeared in person to submit the lawsuit, claimed that the Assembly committee investigating his administration denied him a fair hearing. This allegation was detailed in a statement by his media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, posted on his X handle.
Filed by El-Rufai’s lawyer, Abdulhakeem Mustapha, the lawsuit contests the Kaduna Assembly Committee’s report accusing El-Rufai of corruption. Adekeye stated, “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 requested the court declare the committee’s report unconstitutional, null, and void, citing violations of his right to a fair hearing under Section 36 of the Nigerian Constitution.
In June, the state Assembly’s ad hoc committee submitted its investigative report on El-Rufai’s administration’s financial dealings, loans, and contracts. The committee, chaired by Henry Zacharia, alleged that loans secured during El-Rufai’s tenure were largely misused and that proper procedures were often not followed.
Assembly Speaker Yusuf Liman accused El-Rufai’s administration of misappropriating N423 billion, which has resulted in significant financial burdens for the state.
