Court adjourns el-Rufai’s suit against Kaduna assembly to July 17

The federal high court in Kaduna has adjourned the hearing in the suit filed by Nasir el-Rufai, former governor of the state, to July 17.

R.M. Aikawa, the presiding judge, adjourned the case on Monday to enable respondents to file all their applications.

In June, el-Rufai sued the Kaduna house of assembly over a claim that his administration diverted N423 billion.

The former governor, through Abdulhakeem Mustapha, a senior advocate of Nigeria (SAN), filed the fundamental rights suit at the federal high court in Kaduna.

On June 5, the Kaduna assembly recommended the probe of el-Rufai over the allegation of public funds diversion and money laundering.

The house of assembly made the recommendation after a report by an ad hoc committee set up to investigate the state’s finances under the administration of el-Rufai.

El-Rufai was governor of Kaduna from 2015 to 2023.

In the suit, el-Rufai asked the court to declare the report unconstitutional, null, and void for violating his right to a fair hearing.

JURISDICTIONAL ISSUE

At the resumption of the hearing on Monday, Sani Katu, counsel to the house of assembly, said his client was in the process of filing a notice of preliminary objection to challenge the jurisdiction of the court to hear the case.

Katu asked for time to enable his client to file all the applications in the case.

Sule Shuaibu, the commissioner for justice and attorney-general in Kaduna, who is the second defendant, supported Katu’s request.

Sule Umoru, the counsel to el-Rufai, did not oppose the application for the extension of time.nd