El’Rufai not done yet, marks another APC factional leader’s house for demolition, Senator alleges

It seems Governor Nasir El’Rufai of Kaduna State is not done ‘punishing’ Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi, a factional leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

Senator Hunkuyi has the raised alarm over a fresh plot by the Kaduna State government to demolish his personal house in 30 days if he fails to pay a purported ground rent of N30 million.

The senator, who represents Kaduna North at the Senate made the allegation in a tweet on Wednesday.

He said the house being planned to be demolished is his personal residence located on Inuwada Wada Road, Ugwan Rimi, Kaduna North Local Government Area.

The tweet read, “Once again, @GovKaduna Malam @elrufai has sent a ridiculous bill to me for a purported ground rent of my personal house at Inuwa Wada to the tune of N30m to be paid within 30 days, failure to do so might probably result to another demolition like he did to my other property.”

The alleged bill, which the senator displayed on his twitter handle was sent to him by Kaduna State Geographic Information Service (KADGIS), and addressed to Alhaji Suleiman Uthman of 18A Inuwa Wada Road and dated February 20, 2018.

The bill which was signed on behalf of the Director General of the KADGIS, gave the senator 30 days to pay the grand rent of N31.4 million allegedly owned from 1995 to date.

“You are therefore requested to pay the total of N31, 467,861.6. You are also expected to pay this amount at any commercial bank into the KADGIS PAYDirect platform. This bill should be paid within 30 days please,” the bill read.

But Hunkuyi argued in another tweet that he had since 2017 paid his dues to the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service and that he had a receipt to prove his claim.

He said, “As of last year 2017, I’ve paid my dues to the Kaduna State Internal Revenue Service and they have duly issued me receipts to that effect. This letter today demanding N30m within 30 days is draconian and indeed blatant display of abuse of power as arrogantly portrayed by @elrufai.”

Meanwhile, the state government which only few days ago demolished Hunkuyi’s house on Plot 11B, Sambo Close, Angwan Rimi area of Kaduna metropolis, has asked the senator to head to court if he feels his house was demolished wrongly.

Special Adviser to Governor El-Rufai on Political and Intergovernmental Affairs, Mr. Uba Sani, declared the state government’s position on the vexed issue when he spoke to newsmen in Abuja on Wednesday.

Sani said, “We can tell you that we have a law and if he feels aggrieved, he can go to court. I can assure you that when he goes to court, we will prove the fact that we took this action in accordance with the Land Use Act.

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“It is not persecution. If you regard it as persecution, it means the over 100 people whose houses were demolished in the last one year are being persecuted. The same law that was violated by those poor people, who have no voice was applied to Hunkuyi but because Hunkuyi has a voice, he has money, he can go to the media, that is why people are talking about his issue.”

Hunkuyi’s house, which was being used as office of a faction of the ruling APC in the state, was demolished two days after the group led by the senator issued the governor six months suspension.

 

 

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