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Human rights lawyer Mike Ozekhome has called for a fair hearing for Nasir El-Rufai during the investigation into his administration.
A committee from the Kaduna House of Assembly, established to examine the actions of the former state governor, has accused El-Rufai of corruption and issued other recommendations.
Ozekhome acknowledged the committee’s work but emphasised the importance of allowing El-Rufai to respond to the allegations.
During his appearance on the Thursday’s edition of Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, the senior lawyer said, “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 it the next Ooni need to be. So, I wouldn’t be able to know what the outcome would be.
“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 its 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 asked: “Was he duly invited? Was he allowed to defend himself? If he was and he chose to stay back, that’s another ball game. So, because I do not have all those duties, it becomes peremptory for me to [comment on it]
“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.