Human rights lawyer, Mike Ozekhome, has called for a fair hearing for the former governor of Kaduna state, Nasir El-Rufai, whose administration is currently under investigation by the state’s House of Assembly.
Despite El-Rufai being indicted on corruption charges and money laundering, Ozekhome said the embattled former Kaduna governor cannot be indicted by proxy.
Ozekhome added that while the ad hoc committee had done its job, El-Rufai has the right to defend himself against the charges.
“I’m not a Nostradamus, the man who saw tomorrow, nor am I the oracle at Ile Ife [in Osun State] that will go gaze into the future to pronounce who the next Ooni need to be. So, I wouldn’t be able to know what the outcome would be,” the lawyer said on Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily.
“But I think that whatever happens, El-Rufai must be given his right to a fair hearing. The assembly has just merely made a recommendation and told the governor to implement it.
“The governor may look at it and, and feel well, ‘This is not worth the energy at the time. Let’s face other [things]’. Others may say, ‘N423 billion they are accusing him of is not a small amount; let’s dig in.’
“So, whatever the outcome would be, don’t forget that El-Rufai also has his own fundamental rights to protect. For example, he may decide to go to court to challenge the indictment itself.
“Maybe you could say he was not given a fair trial. He was never called. I don’t know whether he was called to come and defend himself.”
Ozekhome further asked if El-Rufai was duly invited or if he was given an opportunity to defend himself.
He said if the ex-governor was duly invited and he chose to stay back, that was another ball game.
Ozekhome said just because he does not have all those duties, it becomes peremptory for him to comment on the case.
“You don’t indict a person by proxy. No, you don’t, particularly in a matter that has criminal connotations. You can’t do that by proxy. So, it has to be the person,” the lawyer said.
The Guardian reports that El-Rufai had, on Wednesday, dismissed the report of the committee set up by the Kaduna State House of Assembly to investigate his administration.
El-Rufai’s spokesman, Muyiwa Adekeye, in a statement, said the former Kaduna State governor led a government of integrity and competent governance.
“We are aware of news that the Kaduna State House of Assembly has adopted the report of the ad-hoc committee it asked to probe the El-Rufai government,” Adekeye said.
“We have not been availed a copy of the report, to which we would respond robustly whenever we obtain it.
“We affirm the integrity of the El-Rufai government and dismiss the scandalous claims being aired as the report of the committee.”
The Kaduna House of Assembly decided to probe El-Rufai after Governor Uba Sani accused his predecessor of leaving lots of debt burden of $587 million, N85 billion, and 115 contractual liabilities.
