A former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, has accused President Bola Tinubu of making unauthorised deductions from the Federation Account, claiming that the alleged action amounts to an impeachable offence.
El-Rufai made the allegation during an interview on Prime Time, a programme aired on Arise Television, where he claimed that about N100bn had been withdrawn monthly without the approval of the National Assembly or state legislatures.
According to him, the deductions have reportedly continued for more than 15 months, bringing the total sum involved to about N1.5tn.
The former governor said the funds were allegedly taken without appropriation, despite the fact that a portion of the Federation Account belongs to state governments and requires legislative approval at both federal and state levels.
El-Rufai argued that the process violated constitutional provisions governing public finance, insisting that such deductions and expenditure outside legislative approval were unlawful.
He questioned the utilisation of the alleged funds, expressing concern that the country’s security challenges had continued to worsen despite the huge sums reportedly withdrawn.
The former minister also criticised the government’s response to insecurity, particularly calls for communities to defend themselves, noting that such measures suggested a failure of governance.
El-Rufai said he would not have believed, during the 2022 and 2023 election campaigns, that Nigeria’s situation could deteriorate to its current state, describing the developments as deeply troubling.