El-Rufai dismisses Kaduna Assembly’s report as ‘politically motivated hatchet job’

The former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has dismissed the state’s House of Assembly move to probe him for alleged money laundering.

The House had earlier on Wednesday adopted the report of its ad-hoc committee which recommended El-Rufai’s prosecution for alleged corruption during his time in office from May 2015 to May 2023.

The House set up the committee in March to investigate all finances, loans, and contracts awarded by the last administration in the state.

The chairman of the committee, Henry Zacharia, who presented the report on Wednesday, said most of the loans obtained by El-Rufai’s administration were not used for the purpose they were obtained.

He noted that due process was not followed in securing the loans in most cases.

However, in a statement issued by his media aide, Muyiwa Adekeye, the former governor dismissed the committee’s report as a “politically motivated hatchet job.”

El-Rufai insisted that he led a government of integrity and competence during his eight-year rule in the state.

He described the committee’s claims as scandalous.

The statement read: “Malam Nasir El-Rufai is immensely proud of his record of governance and the legacy he left in Kaduna State. This record of consistently high performance in public and private office cannot be altered by any malicious effort to use the auspices of a state legislature for defamation and undeserved smears.

“Many of the officials who served in the El-Rufai government appeared before the ad-hoc committee because of their confidence in the quality of their service and the rectitude with which they served Kaduna State. They were under no illusion that they were participating in a fair process. It was obvious that the ad hoc committee was merely going through the motions of an inquiry just to give some gloss to predetermined conclusions.

“It is sad to see such a shameful departure from any notion of decency and fairness by a state legislature. We dismiss with contempt the claims being peddled in connection with the report.

“Malam El-Rufai wishes to assure discerning Nigerians that he has served Kaduna State with integrity and to the best of his capacity, assisted by a hardworking and patriotic team. He complied with all extant laws in all his activities while he was the governor. This jaundiced probe should be disregarded as the politically motivated hatchet job it is.”

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