Former governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has taken legal action against the Kaduna State Assembly concerning the outcome of a ₦432 billion investigation conducted by an ad-hoc committee. The lawsuit, initiated by El-Rufai’s lawyer Abdulhakeem Mustapha, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, challenges the committee’s report that accused El-Rufai of involvement in corruption.
El-Rufai filed a fundamental rights lawsuit at the Federal High Court in Kaduna on June 26. He appeared at the court accompanied by former commissioners Hafsat Mohammed Baba, Ibrahim Hussaini, and Hajia Bara’atu Mohammed, who served during his tenure. This legal move comes in response to allegations stemming from the Kaduna Assembly Committee’s report.
El-Rufai’s media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, provided insights into the lawsuit, stating that El-Rufai was present at the Federal High Court to sign an affidavit supporting his case for the enforcement of fundamental rights against the Kaduna State House of Assembly and the state government. Adekeye emphasized that El-Rufai seeks a declaration from the court that the committee’s report spanning his eight-year governance violated his constitutional right to a fair hearing.
“In his lawsuit, El-Rufai asserts his entitlement, as a Nigerian citizen, to a fair hearing before any quasi-judicial or investigative body, as outlined in the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 (as amended) and the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights,” the statement read.
El-Rufai’s legal representative, AU Mustapha SAN, emphasized that the former governor’s approach to the court is grounded in constitutional principles. Specifically, El-Rufai seeks to nullify the Ad-hoc Committee’s report on loans, financial transactions, contractual liabilities, and related matters of Kaduna State’s government from May 29, 2015, to May 29, 2023. He argues that the report’s ratification by the Kaduna State House of Assembly violates Section 36 of the Nigerian Constitution, rendering it unconstitutional and void due to its failure to uphold his right to a fair hearing.
On March 30, 2024, Governor Uba Sani disclosed during a town hall meeting that Kaduna State faced a substantial debt burden inherited from the previous administration, totaling $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities. According to Governor Sani, this financial situation necessitated the allocation of over 70% of the state’s revenue towards servicing these debts.
In response to these financial challenges, the Kaduna State House of Assembly established an ad-hoc committee to investigate financial transactions spanning the period from May 29, 2015, to May 29, 2023. The committee, led by Barrister Henry Danjuma Magaji, submitted its findings on June 5, 2024, highlighting alleged irregularities and significant unaccounted funds.
The committee’s report implicated the former governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, and several of his associates in mismanagement of funds, loan diversions, contractor overpayments, and lack of transparency in the utilization of state resources. Subsequently, the Kaduna State House of Assembly endorsed the committee’s findings, indicting El-Rufai and others for allegedly siphoning N423 billion during their tenure.
El-Rufai’s legal challenge now awaits adjudication at the Federal High Court in Kaduna, where he seeks judicial review of the committee’s report and affirmation of his constitutional rights. His case underscores broader issues of governance accountability and the legal protections afforded to individuals accused in investigative proceedings.
