Political commentator Reno Omokri has accused former Kaduna State governor, Nasir el-Rufai, of making false claims regarding the legality of suspending state governors under a state of emergency.
Omokri reacted to comments made by el-Rufai during a press conference alongside former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, where the ex-governor referenced a 2006 Supreme Court ruling.
According to el-Rufai, the court had condemned former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s decision to suspend the governors of Plateau and Ekiti states after declaring a state of emergency in their states.
Citing the ruling in suit SC.113/2004, Omokri asserted that the Supreme Court never issued such a rebuke.
He pointed to the lead judgment by Justice Idris Kutigi, which struck out the case rather than delivering the ruling el-Rufai claimed.
Omokri further alleged that el-Rufai’s stance on President Bola Tinubu’s handling of Rivers State was not grounded in historical or legal facts but was instead driven by a personal vendetta.
He suggested that el-Rufai’s opposition stemmed from his rejection by the National Assembly as a ministerial nominee.
“Nasir el-Rufai is now forced to rely on lies because he has no legal, historical, or moral basis to justify his condemnation of President Tinubu’s action,” Omokri stated.
The controversy follows ongoing political tensions in Rivers State, where Governor Siminalayi Fubara faces a six-month suspension amid talks of a possible state of emergency.
