The Kaduna State House of Assembly has responded to the criticism from former political appointees of ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai, who were indicted in a probe report for alleged mismanagement of N423bn state funds.
The appointees had dismissed the report as unfair and irresponsible.
In a statement, the House’s Chair of the Fact-Feeding Committee and Deputy Speaker, Henry Magaji, told the former appointees to prepare to face anti-corruption agencies and courts instead of making public utterances.
He reiterated that the House had done its duty to the people of Kaduna State and would not engage in a battle of wits with the appointees, according to TheSun.
Magaji emphasized that the probe report revealed a systematic and coordinated looting of state resources through phony contracts and poor project execution.
He urged the appointees to focus on preparing their defenses for the anti-corruption agencies and eventual court trials.
The House is currently in court with El-Rufai over the issue of fair hearing.
“The attention of the Kaduna State House of Assembly has been drawn to a press conference addressed by some senior political appointees of the immediate past administration of Malam Nasir El-Rufai. In the press conference, the former political appointees made strenuous efforts to pick holes in the report of the Probe Committee. They resorted to name calling and wild allegations on the motivations for the House Probe.
“The press conference was just a rehash of the vituperations and innuendoes heaped on us by the former political appointees in their first press briefing. There was nothing new that should warrant our response. They failed to address the main issue, which is the systematic and coordinated cornering of the resources of Kaduna State through phoney contracts and outright looting.
“The State House of Assembly, in line with its constitutional mandate and in response to public demand, carried out a thorough probe into the humongous debts incurred by the immediate past administration without commensurate projects.
“We dug deep and unearthed the monumental heist carried out in Kaduna State in the guise of projects execution. Our findings revealed a litany of poorly executed projects, abandoned projects, and projects that exists only in the imagination of executive scammers.
“We have called on anti-corruption agencies to step in and invite indicted persons for questioning. It is the anti-corruption agencies that can either validate or disprove our findings, not individuals who spent their days in public office cornering the common patrimony of the people of Kaduna State and mortgaging the future of its children and grandchildren.
“We urge the former political appointees to deploy their energies towards preparing their defences before the anti-corruption agencies, and eventually the courts. The House of Assembly is not in a battle of wits with them. We have done our duty to the people of Kaduna State. Let them answer to the charges of malfeasance, abuse of office, disrespect for the law and due process leveled against them.
“We are currently in court with the head of the indicted administration, Malam Nasir El-Rufai over the issue of fair hearing. We shall not comment on the matter because it is sub-judice. We stand for the rule of law and due process.
“We are elected representatives of the people. We are accountable to the people. We have a constitutional responsibility to make laws and carry out functions for the welfare, safety and security of the people. The probe carried out by the House is in furtherance of the oath we took to advance the interests of the people of Kaduna State.
“The few political appointees who have been making desperate but futile moves to denigrate the House and cover up the alleged fraud perpetrated by the previous government represent no one but themselves. If they genuinely have the interest of Kaduna State and are truly men and women of integrity, they would have applied themselves to developing the state instead of participating in the alleged pilfering of its scarce resources”.The statement said.