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GandujeGate: Contractor set to testify before Kano assembly panel

By Timileyin Omilana
09 November 2018   |   10:30 am
The contractor behind the videos showing Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, collecting and stashing in his cloth bundles of US dollar, says he is ready to testify before the state Assembly panel investigating the matter. In a letter sent to the chairman of the investigative panel, through Saeed Muhd Twada, his lawyer, the contractor referred…

[FILE PHOTO] Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State. Photo/ NAN

The contractor behind the videos showing Kano state governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, collecting and stashing in his cloth bundles of US dollar, says he is ready to testify before the state Assembly panel investigating the matter.

In a letter sent to the chairman of the investigative panel, through Saeed Muhd Twada, his lawyer, the contractor referred to as a ‘whistleblower’ said his allegation against Ganduje is strictly personal and that he would appreciate if the governor also appears in person at the panel.

He also demanded that the panel must have in attendance Jaafar Jaafar, publisher of Daily Nigerian newspaper, and one Aminu Daurawa.

In four video footages by an online media platform, Daily Nigeria, Ganduje was seen receiving wads of cash, allegedly kickbacks, from contractors handling state projects.

Subsequently, a seven-man committee constituted by the state’s House of Assembly was set up to investigate alleged bribery.

The yet unknown contractor said his appearance before the panel will be based on the fulfillment of some conditions which were listed in the letter.

One of the conditions is that all the video clips will be submitted to two experts for forensic analysis and report — one, a serving officer of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the other an expatriate, while their bills will be paid for by the state.

“That a Certified True Copy of the Report(s) prepared by the experts shall be made available to our client prior to his appearance,” the letter read.

“That our client has undertaken to surrender to the experts, the device used in capturing all the events in the video clips submitted and others yet to be submitted for discreet analysis and scrutiny.

“That all the proposed questions to be asked by the panel in the anticipated session shall not be more than TEN (10) and shall be forwarded to our client in advance.

“That the sitting be restricted to limited persons and that our client should be allowed to wear mask, bear pseudo name and receive protection from authorities for himself, family and business undertakings.”

Meanwhile, a high court in Kano on Monday ordered the state house of assembly to stop investigating the allegations against Ganduje following a legal action undertaken by a pro-democracy group called Lawyers For Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria. But the panel has insisted that it will continue with the probe.

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