N2bn Defamation suit: Court refuses to recall Gov. El-Rufai to testify

TRACKING______NAN also reports that el-Rufai sued the newspaper and its reporter in Kaduna when the medium published that he declared assets worth N90 billion, including 40 mansions, scattered across the country.

Delivering her ruling, Justice Mario Muhammad of the Kaduna State High Court, dismissed the application on grounds that the applicant lacked material evidence for her to recall el-Rufai.

Muhammad adjourned the matter until May 27 for continuation of defence.

Earlier, the respondent’s counsel, Hiifan Abdul applied for the court to recall el-Rufai, to confront him with new facts gotten from the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).

Speaking to newsmen after the hearing, Sule Umoru, counsel to the plaintiff, said he filed an objection to the application made by the respondents on Dec. 14, 2019.

On his part, Abdul explained that the application for recall of the fifth witness was to seek clarifications on the asset declarations made during his tenure as a minister and his present position as a governor.

“Therefore, we wanted to get the previous asset declaration to compare with the one he filled as the governor and which was brought after he had testified.

“We filed an application to recall him so that we confront him with the new set of facts because there were material contradictions, but then the court ruled today and we accept because its the verdict of the court.

“However, we feel that the ruling is against our right to fair hearing,” he said.