El-Rufai vs Kaduna Assembly: Court adjourns hearing to July 17

The Federal High Court sitting in Kaduna has adjourned to 17th July 2024 the hearing of the case filed by a former governor of the state, Nasir El-Rufai, against the State House of Assembly and the Attorney General of the State.

El-Rufai is challenging the house’s committee report which accused him of corruption.

At the commencement of the hearing of the case on Monday, counsel to the first respondent, the Kaduna State House of Assembly, Sani Katu, SAN, informed the court that they were in the process of filing a notice of preliminary objection to challenge the court’s jurisdiction to hear the case.

The counsel, therefore, requested an extension of time to enable them to file all their applications on the case filed against his client by the applicant, Nasir El-Rufai.

The plea was also advanced by the Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General of Kaduna State, Sule Shauaibu, SAN, who is a defendant in the case.

On his part, counsel to the applicant, Sule Umoru, did not oppose the application for the extension of time.

After listening to all the submissions made by the counsels, the presiding judge, Justice Rilwan M. Aikawa, adjourned the case to 17th July 2024 to enable the respondents to file all their applications including the substantive application.

Recall that El-Rufai had on 26th June, 2024, filed a case at the Federal High Court Kaduna to challenge the probe report of the Kaduna State House of Assembly which indicted him for corruption during his eight-year administration.

Among other claims, he asked the court to declare the Assembly report null and void for violating his right to a fair hearing as guaranteed under the Constitution, since he was not invited by the House to defend himself against all the allegations levelled against him.