By Abiola Olawale
The immediate past Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai, has taken legal action against the Kaduna State House of Assembly, in response to allegations that he misappropriated about ₦432 billion and left the state with substantial debt liabilities.
El-Rufai, in a lawsuit filed before a Federal High Court in Kaduna on Wednesday, is challenging the allegations raised by the legislators against him.
The former Governor is also seeking an order from the court declaring the report null and void.
The New Diplomat reports that El-Rufai came under scrutiny after his successor, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State, on March 30, said he inherited multibillion-naira debt from his predecessor, an enormous deficit he claims made salary payments to state workers a daunting task.
Shortly after, the Kaduna State House of Assembly constituted the committee on April 16, 2024, tasked with the mandate to embark “on fact-finding of financial dealings, loans and grants and other projects implementation from 2015-2023”.
The Chairman of the Committee, Henry Zacharia, presented the report of the Committee before the Kaduna State House of Assembly.
The Chairman revealed that the Committee’s investigations showed that most of the loans obtained under El-Rufai’s administration were allegedly diverted to finance projects different from those for which the loans were secured.
He also advised that a comprehensive inquiry be conducted and legal action taken against El-Rufai and other implicated members of his administration by security and anti-corruption authorities.
However, in response El-Rufai denied all the allegations levelled against him, dismissing the report as “scandalous”.
