By Abiola Olawale
Immediate past governor of Kaduna State, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, has filed a legal action against a member of the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Hon. Henry Marah and Channels TV over alleged defamatory comments about the ongoing probe of N423 billion loan.
The former governor in a lawsuit filed before the Federal High Court, Abuja and date July 11, 2024 said Marah allegedly made defamtory comments about his person during an interview on “Politics Today”, a programme of Channels TV.
El-Rufai in the lawsuit filed by his counsel, A.U. Mustapha (SAN) is contending that the interview which occurred on June 5 was “malicious, unwarranted, without justification, defamatory and greatly injurious to the reputation of the claimant.”
El-Rufai is demanding the sum of N3 billion jointly and severally against Marah and Channels TV over the injury, embarrassment and distress suffered by him in respect of the loss of reputation and goodwill as a result of the malicious, unwarranted and defamatory pronouncement.
It would be recalled that the interview was in response to the ongoing probe into El-Rufai’s alleged borrowing of funds valued at N423 billion during his tenure as governor between 2015 and 2023.
Marah was quoted in the interview as saying that El-Rufai’s borrowings were done without due process and the funds were also unaccounted for.
This also comes after El-Rufai had filed a N1 billion suit claiming that fair hearing was not accorded him by the Ad-Hoc Committee on Investigation of Loans, Financial Transactions, Contractual Liabilities and Other Related Matters of the Government of Kaduna State from 29th May 2015-29th May, 2023 empanelled by the Kaduna State House of Assembly on the 16th of April 2024 over the loans.
