Former presidential aide Laolu Akande, has said it is now clear that former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai is “in trouble” as he has now gone to court to defend claims being made about his 8-year stewardship following a recent indictment by the Kaduna State government for allegedly siphoning ₦432 billion.
According to Akande, “if you see El-Rufai going to court, it is the clearest indication that he himself knows that there is a clear attempt to begin to reduce his political weight and cause a bit of trouble.”
Hopes of a political solution seems to have been deferred if not outrightly off the table, it is believed and this necessitated the controversial former Governor seeking reprieve in court.
Appearing on Channels TV’s Sunrise Daily, on Thursday, Akande, discussing the implications of the allegations facing El-Rufai also stressed the need for a fair judicial process.
“El-Rufai is in trouble. Clearly, there are significant issues at hand,” Akande stated. He emphasised, “The man has a right to a fair hearing, and he should get it.”
The Kaduna State Assembly had recently accused El-Rufai’s administration of fraud during his tenure as governor, but the former governor had challenged the report in court, arguing that the Assembly breached his right to a fair hearing by not inviting him during the probe.
While drawing implications, the veteran journalist, who is an in-house analyst of Channels TV also addressed the broader issue of political succession and the imposition of successors by outgoing governors.
“This idea of people handpicking and imposing their successors is not something that really guarantees whatever it is that those people will want to have,” he remarked.
Akande, however, advocated for the expansion of democratic space, calling for proper internal party democracy where candidates go through the right processes instead of being imposed by their predecessors.
Reflecting on Nigeria’s political history, Akande pointed to former President Olusegun Obasanjo as a significant influence in this problematic trend.
“I think it is former President Olusegun Obasanjo that made this a big problem. Despite all of his credits, we have to continue to remind him that he is responsible for some of the poor political leadership that we see being exhibited in this country,” Akande asserted.
He concluded by emphasising the need for genuine democratic practices, drawing comparisons with past political leaders, as he said, “We’ve had political leaders in this country like Sardauna and Obafemi Awolowo; they didn’t engage in such practices.”
Akande’s comments come in the wake of a report from the state Assembly’s ad hoc committee, which investigated the finances, loans, and contracts of the El-Rufai administration, and alleged that most of the loans obtained were not utilised for their intended purposes and that due process was not followed in securing some of them.
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