Hon. Bello El-Rufai, a member of the Nigerian House of Representatives, has been exposed for receiving a luxury vehicle from the National Assembly, despite initially denying it.
In a previous media interview, El-Rufai claimed to have declined one of the Sports Utility Vehicles (SUVs) distributed to lawmakers at the start of the 10th Assembly, portraying himself as a public servant with the people’s interests at heart.
Bello also alleged that some of his colleagues had similarly rejected the vehicles. However, evidence has now revealed that El-Rufai did, in fact, receive one of the posh vehicles, contradicting his earlier statement and raising questions about his sincerity.
Bello, the son of former Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, represents Kaduna North Federal Constituency and serves as the Chairman of the House Committee on Banking Regulations.
In a podcast interview in March 2024, Bello El-Rufai said, “Abraham Bello is in PDP, a brilliant young man …and none of us took that SUVs. With the kind of insults we ‘chop’ (received), why should I take the SUV? If I say this now what is the comment. You just said I am a son of the privileged, I have had SUV since I was working.”
Asked about the funds, he said, “that is the question, if you get the funds what did you roll out to do with it, but everybody came as if to say that maybe some people have not got cars.”
However, a document obtained by SaharaReporters on Thursday reveals that Bello El-Rufai’s public denial was a deliberate falsehood.
The document, dated October 31, 2023, shows that El-Bello Rufai indeed received a Toyota Land Cruiser Prado from the National Assembly’s transport division, House of Representatives. The vehicle’s details are as follows: Chassis Number TTEBX3FJ401C349213, grey in colour, and came with two keys.
This evidence directly contradicts El-Rufai’s earlier claim, exposing his dishonesty.
In March, SaharaReporters exposed a controversy surrounding Bello El-Rufai’s denial of receiving an official SUV, based on a leaked internal memo from the Nigerian House of Representatives.
The memo, addressed to House members, refuted El-Rufai’s claims and confirmed that all members had indeed received their allocated vehicles. Authored by Hon. Philip Agbese, the Deputy Spokesperson for the House, the memo was leaked to SaharaReporters, revealing the discrepancy between El-Rufai’s statements and the actual facts.
The memo had read: “Our attention has been drawn to a trending video excerpt from an interview, wherein one of our distinguished colleagues, Hon. Bello El-Rufai, claimed that some members, including himself, rejected their operational vehicles allocated to them.
“It has become necessary to state that, this is totally false and inaccurate. From our checks with the House Committee on House Services, every member of the 10th House of Representatives has received their vehicle.
“The House, therefore, cautions Hon. El-Rufai to desist from further misinforming the public or attempting to set his colleagues up for public ridicule.
“As a House, we are advised not to grandstand or pontificate on contentious matters in a way that would bring the image of the parliament to disrepute.
“Hence, the need for caution in public discourse, especially now that the 10th House of Representatives is earning the trust of Nigerians.
“We take this opportunity to clarify that all Honourable Members have had their vehicles duly allocated to them. These vehicles remain the property of the House of Representatives and are to aid Honourable Members in the discharge of their duties.
“We also wish to remind all Honourable Members that while you have the liberty to engage with the media and the public as you see fit, it is in the best interests of the House and all members to avoid causing disaffection and raising controversial matters.
“Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
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