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Tag: el-Rufai

  • N11b rail contract: El-Rufai’s aide faults ICPC

    N11b rail contract: El-Rufai’s aide faults ICPC

    • ‘I’m not on the run’

    A former Special Adviser and a senior counselor to ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai, Mr. Jimi Lawal, has said he did not evade appearance before the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC).

    The former aide said he only got ICPC’s letter of invitation at midnight on Monday with an instruction to report to the commission on Wednesday (today).

    On the N11 billion phony light rail contract the ICPC is probing, Lawal said he had no budget and authority to approve contracts.

    Read Also: Alleged N90b hajj subsidy fraud: ICPC raids NAHCON office, arrests director

    Lawal made the clarifications in a statement by Austin Oniyokor of his Media Office.

    The statement said: “The attention of the media office of Chief Jimi Adebisi Lawal (JAL), former Senior Counselor and Chairman, Kaduna State Economic Development Council (2015 – 2022), has been drawn to a report credited to The Nation newspaper and feasted on by some online platforms that he is being watch-listed because he failed to honour an invitation by the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) over an alleged N11 billion light rail project.

    “We wish to state that nothing could be farther from the truth. The facts of the matter are as stated presently.

    “On August 1, 2024, Lawal missed a call from an unknown number. As a highly courteous and responsible citizen, when he called the line back, the person at the other end identified himself as an ICPC official and that he had an invitation letter dated August 1, 2024, for him to appear at headquarters of the commission the next day. Recall that it was the week the #EndBadGovernance protest commenced.”

  • N423b probe: El-Rufai seeks transfer of case

    N423b probe: El-Rufai seeks transfer of case

    Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has taken Justice R.M Aikawa of the Federal High Court sitting in the state capital to the Chief Judge (CJ) of the Federal High Court for alleged bias.

    In a petition, El-Rufai urged the FHC CJ to reassign his from Justice Aikawa to another judge.

    El-Rufai file a suit in June to challenge the probe report of the Kaduna State House of Assembly which indicted him for alleged misappropriation of N423 billion public fund.

    Read Also: Why we pegged minimum wage at ₦70,000 — Tinubu

    In the fundamental rights case he filed against the Kaduna Assembly before the court, the former governor asked the court to declare the Assembly’s report as null and void for violating his right to a fair hearing as guaranteed under the Constitution of Nigeria.

    Justice Aikawa yesterday adjourned ruling on the case after hearing from the respondents who submitted their preliminary and substantive objections to the court, in the absence of El-Rufai’s counsel, Abdulhakeem Mustapha.

    Unhappy with the ruling without his presence, El-Rufai, in his petition to the FHC CJ, demanded the transfer of the case to another judge in the interest of justice and a fair hearing.

  • N432b corruption allegation and El-Rufai’s legal step

    N432b corruption allegation and El-Rufai’s legal step

    • By Suleiman Abdullahi

    Among the Yoruba people of South West Nigeria, there is a popular and highly instructive maxim that the farmer must not fail to quickly greet a robber, otherwise the robber will seize the opportunity to greet first. What this means literally is that if the owner of a plundered farm catches the robber, he must not waste time in apprehending him, otherwise the robber will find an escape route to avoid the consequences of his dastardly act.
    Last week, former Kaduna State governor, Mallam Nasir El Rufai, dragged the Kaduna State House of Assembly to court ‘to enforce his fundamental human right.’ And he is asking for N1 billion naira in damages. The suit, filed by the ex-governor’s lawyer Abdulhakeem Mustapha, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, is challenging the report of the Kaduna State House of Assembly Committee which indicted him for alleged corruption.
    El-Rufai who had dismissed the Assembly’s indictment as ‘politically motivated and jaundiced probe,’ is asking the court to declare the report of the 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. Joined in the suit as respondents are the Kaduna State House of Assembly and State Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice.
    The question that immediately comes to mind is which fundamental human right? That the Kaduna State House of Assembly shouldn’t have constituted an ad-hoc committee to investigate allegations of fraud and corruption with massive financial and economic consequences for the state and her people? Or that he (El Rufai) was indicted and recommended for prosecution? Wouldn’t it have been more honourable for El Rufai to wait for the anti-graft summon or the court papers and go defend himself than embarking on a wild goose chase over a so-called fundamental human right? Isn’t it said that a clear conscience fears no accusation? So, why is El Rufai jittery and seeking not only the protection of the court but essentially asking it to fight his fight for him? Can he really dictate to the Kaduna State House of Assembly what to legislate on and what to investigate and oversight?

    Read Also: El-Rufai’s decision to go to court laughable –Lawmaker


    As a constitutionally established and guaranteed institution, the Kaduna State House of Assembly remains a fundamental arm of government for good governance at that sub-national level. So, why has El Rufai, a man renowned for scoffing at court orders and ruling, chosen all of a sudden to submit to legal procedures and processes?
    It is essentially to buy time, a tactic to waste time and generally try to bug down the system with riotous legal cases. It is an agenda that seeks to portray him as the victim and so win the sympathy of the public. El Rufai can never be the victim in any face off with anybody. That’s simply impossible. Running to court, therefore, can only mean one thing – arrest the processes that would probably form part of his trial over the alleged humongous corruption case. And this must count as one modern wonder we all must acknowledge. His main objective may be more than just seeking an enforcement of a fundamental human right? It is targeted at bastardising the entire process in a way that he would come out vindicated or untainted.
    Following allegations of unprecedented sleaze and corruption levelled against El-Rufai’s administration by the state government, the Kaduna State House of Assembly set up a 13 man panel headed by the Deputy Speaker, Henry Danjuma, to probe El-Rufai’s eight year administration from 2015 to 2023. It was mandated to investigate all finances, loans and contracts awarded under the immediate-past governor. When the report was submitted, it indicted the ex-governor and some of his appointees of siphoning N423bn state funds.
    In his first reaction, El-Rufai was quick to dismiss it, crying foul. He insisted he was innocent of the charges and accusations. His media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, knocked the report, describing it as false and scandalous. “We are aware of news that the Kaduna State House of Assembly has adopted the report of the ad hoc committee it asked to probe the El-Rufai government. We have not been provided with a copy of the report, to which we would respond robustly whenever we obtain it. We affirm the integrity of the El-Rufai government and dismiss the scandalous claims being aired as the report of the committee,” Adekeye stated.
    Notwithstanding, the 186 page report appeared very thorough, dispassionate, detailed and patriotic. With over 50 people appearing before it, it established that from 1965 to December 31, 2014, the total foreign debt by Kaduna State was a paltry $234 million USD, and that there was no single local debt inherited by the El-Rufai administration when it assumed office.
    To quote just a bit of it, the report found: “Reckless awards of contracts without due process and due execution, leading to several abandoned projects despite payments.
    “(He) authorised humongous withdrawals of cash both in naira and dollar with no records of utilisation and denied the state of the needed resources for development.
    “Complicit activities with commissioners and heads of parastatals to defraud the state by issuing directives to KADPPA to circumvent due process in the payment of contractors vide letter dated 21st June, 2021.
    “Diversion of funds and money laundering contrary to all extant Laws and regulations and accordingly should be referred to the law enforcement agencies for in-depth investigation and appropriate action.”
    However, El-Rufai’s seemingly smart move to truncate a possible prosecution may just be a wild goose chase because the Kaduna Citizens Watch for Good Governance (KCWGG) has sent petitions to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and Independent and Corrupt Practices Commission (ICPC) against him over the alleged N423 billion fraud.
    On Wednesday, Chairman of KCWGG, Comrade Victor Duniya, while addressing newsmen said the petitions sent to the anti-graft agencies requested for immediate investigations, arrests, and prosecutions of El-rufai and his appointees that were involved in alleged mismanagement, siphoning, and some illegal financial activities.
    Reacting to questions by newsmen on El-rufai’s recent lawsuit against the State House of Assembly at the Federal High Court, Kaduna, claiming N1billion damages over the probe committee report, Comrade Duniya said, “It is just a delay tactic, but we will continue to voice out our protest to ensure that justice is not only done but seen to be done.
    “It is unfortunate that El-Rufai that never obeyed court order as governor, is now running to the same court to seek protection.”
    With what is on the table just now, Nasir el-Rufai must be told in plain language that sentiment, or playing the victim card or opting for a delay tactic or a deliberate ploy to malign the Kaduna State House of Assembly, will not do anything to help him. It is time to come clean and doing that requires that he should immediately be ready to defend himself whenever he is called upon to do so in court.

    • Abdullahi writes from Zaria
  • …And El-Rufai goes to court

    …And El-Rufai goes to court

    It is interesting that former Kaduna State governor, Nasir EL Rufai, has decided to go to court and he is seeking N1billion for damages. It is good that he has responded to In Touch call for him to break his silence. But rather than account for his alleged infractions, he is giving it to the lawyers. That is not characteristically Nasir, who does not give the glory of his story to others. We are still waiting for him to talk, with typical Nasir bluster.  Silence is out of character, especially when his character is at stake. Again,

    Read Also: Nigerians aren’t people to share good news with, says Erica Nlewedim

    what of all the others accused who have fled the country? Is he a general without a foot soldier, not even his friend Jimmy Lawal? Why are they fleeing their master? The matter is still on the boil. The EFCC is on the matter. Is the court case a calculation to thwart an official inquiry and possible prosecution? Is it a court case to stop a court case?

  • El-Rufai’s decision to go to court laughable –Lawmaker

    El-Rufai’s decision to go to court laughable –Lawmaker

    Former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai’s decision to pursue legal action over allegations of misappropriating N432 billion has been described as laughable.

    The member representing Zaria constituency in the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Mahmud Lawal, said this in a chat with  newsmen in Kaduna.

    Lawal expressed disappointment at what he described as El-Rufai’s sudden interest in the judiciary after neglecting it for so long, adding that El-Rufai seems to have conveniently forgotten the principle of separation of powers enshrined in the constitution, which mandates non-interference between the executive, legislature, and judiciary.

    Read Also: What will Tunji Bello bring to FCCPC?

    “Does he (El-Rufai) believe that by resorting to legal action, he can obstruct the legislature from carrying out its constitutional duties?”

    The lawmaker noted that Kaduna State had never experienced such blatant misuse of public funds as recorded under El-Rufai’s tenure “where funds were misappropriated under the guise of project implementation.

     “For instance, let me illustrate what occurred at Kofar Doka in Zaria, my constituency. Billions of Naira were purportedly allocated for road projects, but tragically, the only visible activity was bulldozers demolishing people’s homes, rendering them homeless,” he said.

  • Arewa Think Tank tackles El-Rufai, others over visit to Buhari

    Arewa Think Tank tackles El-Rufai, others over visit to Buhari

    …says no vacancy in Aso Rock 2027

    A Northern group, Arewa Think Tank (ATT) has lambasted the politicians visiting former President Muhammadu Buhari in his hometown, Daura, Katsina state, allegedly seeking political advice from him about their moves ahead of the 2027 general election.

    In a statement on Thursday by the Convener of Arewa Think Tank, Muhammad Alhaji Yakubu said, “ATT is not against politicians visiting each other or networking but when the visits and intentions are laced with mischief, hatred, propaganda, and intentions to cause disaffection is when we have problems with those visits and intentions”. 

    The group said as far as the 2027 election is concerned, “there is no vacancy in Aso Rock until President Bola Tinubu finishes his second term in office”.

    Arewa Think Tank also frowned at the action of the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-rufai for taking the Kaduna State House of Assembly to Court following a probe that indicted him and his cabinet of N423 billion fraud.

    “El-rufai who did not obey the Court order is the person who is now running to Court for protection. He demolished houses even when such cases were still Court. Take Durbar hotel, for instance. He pulled down the structure when the case is still in court. El-rufai refused to obey the Court order and went ahead to allocate Durbar land to people who now erected buildings on the land.

    “This is an irony of life; the same Courts whose pronouncements Nasir El-Rufai was not respecting, but he was disobeying then as the Governor of Kaduna State, are the same Courts he is running to today to seek justice”. 

    “Where was El-rufai when Bola Tinubu and Uba Sani were fighting for democracy for Nigeria to get out of the military rule? What did El-rufai do to end insurgency and insecurity generally for the eight years he governed Kaduna”, the statement noted.

    ATT further expressed worry that previous administrations of the country could not fight banditry and insurgency for 15 years, while civil war was brought to an end within 30 months, adding those politicians did not do anything for the progress of the nation, but caused hatred among the populace.

    “These politicians become audible after leaving power. Prof Yusuf and Sheikh Gumi were championing negotiations with Bandits during the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari. What changed? Only the gullible will fall for their antics. The civil war lasted for 30 months, but the previous administrations could not bring banditry and insurgency to an end for over 15 years”. 

    “They came to power when the North was in the hands of terrorists and left it in the joint hands of terrorists and Bandits. The Northern poor masses should reject their political tricks and manoeuvring”. The statement added. According to the statement,

    “Out of desperation, these disgruntled politicians can’t wait for the next cycle of elections. We know those whipping up hate sentiments and pitching the people against the government.

    “We want to believe strongly that the recent visits by some prominent northern politicians to ex-President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura, Katsina State, were all plots to contest and unseat President Bola Tinubu in 2027.

    Read Also: N432b probe: El-Rufai sues Kaduna Assembly, seeks N1b damages

    “We sighted former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is also the Peoples Democratic Party candidate in the 2023 presidential election, as well as the former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, among others, paying a Sallah homage recently to former president Buhari in his hometown, Daura.

    “It appears to be the usual Eid homage, but looking deeper and beyond the facade, it is a new attempt to build a strong northern alliance using ex-President Buhari as a rallying point to challenge and evict President Tinubu’s Government in 2027. It’s a regrouping of Northern political forces for the next general election. A project we believe will not see the light of the day.

    “A Southerner is in power just for one year. It’s too early for the desperate and power-hungry northern elite to start plotting. The South never did that to Buhari. Their intended action has the capacity of ruining the democratic process ahead of 2027 election”.

  • N432b probe: El-Rufai sues Kaduna Assembly, seeks N1b damages

    N432b probe: El-Rufai sues Kaduna Assembly, seeks N1b damages

    Former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai has sued the House of Assembly for tarnishing his image through its report indicting him of allegedly siphoning N432 billion when he was governor.

    El-Rufai, in the suit at the Federal High Court, Kaduna, is seeking N1 billion damages for the Assembly’s failure to give him fair hearing before smearing his image.

    The suit, filed by his lawyer Abdulhakeem Mustapha, also challenged the report which indicted him for alleged corruption. According to him, the Assembly targeted him in its investigations, invited about 70 people who served under his government, but deliberately refused to give him fair hearing.

    “The said ad hoc committee began its activities sometime in late April 2024, where they invited an avalanche of people who served with the government in different capacities between 2015 and 2023. The committee listed and invited about 70 persons under their constitutional powers.

    “However, the committee deliberately failed/refused/neglected to list me as the former governor, among the invitees. It did not invite me or hear from me, but still went ahead to conclude its activities and deliberations.

    “At the end of its sittings, hearings, and deliberations, the committee issued its final report which was presented and adopted by the 1st Respondent during its proceedings of June 5, wherein they made several recommendations, decisions, and orders, totaling 26. The said report is hereby attached as Exhibit EL-RUFAI 1…”

    Giving further insight into the lawsuit, El-Rufai’s media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, said the former governor was at the Federal High Court, Kaduna, to sign the affidavit supporting his fundamental rights enforcement case against the House of Assembly and state government.

    Read Also: Tinubu means well for north, says Shettima

    According to him, El-Rufai asked the court to declare the committee report null and void for violating his right to fair hearing as guaranteed under the Constitution.

    Governor Uba Sani, on March 30, said the state faced a substantial debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities inherited from the previous administration.

    In response, the Assembly raised an ad hoc committee to investigate the state’s financial transactions from May 29, 2015 to May 29, 2023.

    The committee, led by Henry Magaji, submitted its findings on June 5, revealing alleged significant unaccounted funds and irregularities in financial transactions. The report highlighted mismanagement of funds, diversion of loans, overpayment of contractors, and lack of transparency in the usage of state funds.

    The Assembly adopted the report and indicted El-Rufai and several of his aides for allegedly siphoning N423 billion.

  • UPDATED: El-Rufai sues Kaduna Assembly over N432bn probe

    UPDATED: El-Rufai sues Kaduna Assembly over N432bn probe

    Former governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has filed a lawsuit against the Kaduna Assembly over the results of a ₦432 billion investigation by an ad-hoc committee.

    The suit, filed by the ex-governor’s lawyer Abdulhakeem Mustapha, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, challenged the report of the Kaduna Assembly Committee which indicted El-Rufai for alleged corruption.

    El-Rufai filed a fundamental rights suit at the Federal High Court in Kaduna against the state House of Assembly on Wednesday, June 26.

    The former governor who was also present at the Federal High Court, Kaduna, was accompanied by some of the commissioners who served under his government, Hafsat Mohammed Baba, former Commissioner for Human Services and Social Development, Hon. Ibrahim Hussaini, former Commissioner of Environment and former Head of Service, Hajia Bara’atu Mohammed among others.

    Giving further insight into the lawsuit, the media aide to the former Governor, 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.

    According to Adekeye in a statement he issued immediately after departing the Court, the former governor asked the court to declare the House of Assembly’s Ad-hoc committee report of his eight years of governance null and void for violating his right to fair hearing as guaranteed under the Constitution.

    The statement said: “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.”

    On March 30th, 2024, Governor Uba Sani revealed during 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.

    The governor said: “This has led to over 70% of the state’s allocation being used to service the inherited debt.”

    Read Also: JUST IN: El-Rufai sues Kaduna Assembly over N432bn probe

    In response, the 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 Barrister Henry Danjuma Magaji, submitted its findings on June 5th, 2024, revealing alleged significant unaccounted funds and irregularities in financial transactions.

    The report highlighted mismanagement of funds, diversion of loans, overpayment of contractors, and lack of transparency in the usage of state funds.

    The State House of Assembly adopted the report and indicted former Governor El-Rufai and several of his aides for allegedly siphoning N423 billion.

  • JUST IN: El-Rufai sues Kaduna Assembly over N432bn probe

    JUST IN: El-Rufai sues Kaduna Assembly over N432bn probe

    Former Kaduna Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has sued the Kaduna Assembly over the latter’s claim that his eight-year administration allegedly siphoned ₦432bn leaving the State with huge debt liabilities.

    According to Channels TV, the suit, filed by the ex-Governor’s lawyer Abdulhakeem Mustapha, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, challenged the report of the Kaduna Assembly Committee which indicted El-Rufai for alleged corruption.

    Read Also: N423b indictment: Sani under pressure to invite EFCC, arrest El-Rufai

    El-Rufai filed a fundamental  rights suit at Federal High Court in Kaduna against state House of Assembly on Wednesday.

    The Kaduna Assembly indicted the former Governor and his commissioners of corruption and financial mismanagement over his past eight years in office. 

    Details Shortly…

  • N423b indictment: Sani under pressure to invite EFCC, arrest El-Rufai

    N423b indictment: Sani under pressure to invite EFCC, arrest El-Rufai

    • Protesters storm Govt House

    Protesters, under the auspices of Kaduna Citizens Watch for Good Governance (KCWGG), yesterday stormed the Kaduna State Government House asking Governor Uba Sani to invite the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest and prosecute former Governor Nasir El-Rufai over his indictment in the misappropriation of N423 billion.

    The protesters began trekking about 11am from UTC Bus stop leading to the Government House. They sang solidarity songs and carried placards with different inscriptions condemning the alleged financial mismanagement, abuse of power, and a growing debt burden in the eight years of the El-Rufai administration.

    Some of the inscriptions read ‘We will occupy all MDAs to chase out all indicted persons in the report’; ‘Stop servicing all loans that did not follow due process before they were obtained’; ‘Jimi Lawal almost killed Kaduna State the way he killed a bank some years ago’.

    Governor Sani, on March 30, said the state faces a substantial debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities inherited from the previous administration. This has led to over 70 per cent of the state’s allocation being used to service the inherited debt.

    In response, the House of Assembly formed an ad hoc committee to investigate the state’s financial transactions from May 29, 2015 to May 29, 2023. The committee, led by Henry Magaji, submitted its findings on June 5, revealing significant unaccounted funds and irregularities in financial transactions. The report highlighted mismanagement of funds, diversion of loans, overpayment of contractors, and lack of transparency in the use of state funds.

    Read Also: Protesters demand El-Rufai’s arrest over alleged N423bn fraud

    Chairman of the protesting group, Comrade Victor Duniya, said: “Our state has endured financial mismanagement, abuse of power, and a growing debt burden in the last eight years. The most troubling finding was the diversion of N10.5 billion meant for pastoral nomadism and the construction of the Milk Industry at Damau, Kubau local governemnt, for the construction of Galaxy Mall, Kaduna. Additionally, the report uncovered overpayments to contractors, payments to unregistered companies, and funds disbursed for work not completed, amounting to over N36.3 billion.

    “The report also revealed large sums of money withdrawn from the state treasury without proper documentation of its use. Furthermore, an expenditure of over N11 billion on a non-existent MRT transportation scheme was documented with no evidence to support it.

    “While we were struggling to come to terms with the voodoo former Governor El-Rufai and his team deployed to cover the faces of Kaduna people from seeing these atrocities, El-Rufai gathered members of his well-fed family to Sallah feast where he tacitly called on them in Hausa language to bring down the government of Senator Uba Sani, which we believe is as a result of allowing the House of Assembly work for the first time in over eight years.