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El-Rufai’s Renewed Gambit With Ethnicity and Injurious Religious Sentiments

Ali Ahmed Yusuf There are moments in the life of a man, especially one, who has held several public offices, when silence is not weakness, restraint is not surrender and

Former Kaduna Governor Nasir El-Rufai is embroiled in a criminal case stemming from allegations of corruption and abuse of office during his tenure. Despite denying the accusations, El-Rufai has petitioned to have Judge Darius Hyet Khobo removed from his trial, citing concerns over judicial bias and the judge's Christian faith and Southern Kaduna origins.

However, independent investigations have found no merit in these claims, and the Chief Judge has ruled that the case must proceed as scheduled. The situation raises broader concerns about the role of identity in the judicial system and whether Kaduna, after decades of ethno-religious tensions, is ready to move past divisive politics.

Written by urgent.news from This Day's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.

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The Democratic Party is pushing to ease the tax burden on 'non-resident single homeowners', but there appears to be a difference in temperature between the party and the government. The Democratic Party's real estate policy TF (task force) held a meeting at the National Assembly on the 13th and discussed ways to ease the tax burden on non-resident single homeowners. The TF is reportedly considering a bill that would exempt non-resident single homeowners with homes worth less than 900 million won from paying the comprehensive real estate tax. In addition, it is planning to lower the tax rate for non-resident single homeowners with homes worth between 900 million won and 1.5 billion won. However, the government is cautious about easing the tax burden on non-resident homeowners, as it may lead to an increase in speculative demand. A government official said, "We need to be careful in making decisions about this issue, as it is related to the overall real estate policy." The Democratic Party's move to ease the tax burden on non-resident single homeowners is seen as an attempt to appeal to voters in the suburbs and rural areas. The party's real estate policy TF is led by Rep. Hong Ik-pyo, a three-term lawmaker and a key member of the party's policy leadership. The TF's efforts to ease the tax burden on non-resident single homeowners are expected to face opposition from the government and critics who argue that it would unfairly benefit wealthy homeowners. The issue is likely to become a contentious one in the run-up to the 2024 general election.

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