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SERAP seeks probe of bribery allegations against Kano governor, Ganduje

By Murtala Adewale (Kano) and Emeka Nwachukwu (Lagos)
05 November 2018   |   4:19 am
President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to use his “good offices and leadership position to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation...

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

NBA, Labour differ on Assembly investigation
President Muhammadu Buhari has been urged to use his “good offices and leadership position to direct the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami (SAN), and/or appropriate anti-corruption agencies to investigate allegations of bribery against Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State.

The call was contained in an open letter sent to the President by the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) following the widely circulated video clips allegedly showing Ganduje receiving bribe.”

In the open letter signed by SERAP Senior Legal Adviser, Bamisope Adeyanju and made available to The Guardian yesterday, the organisation said: “If there is relevant and sufficient admissible evidence, Ganduje should face prosecution at the expiration of his tenure as governor.”

It also urged the government “to instruct the Attorney-General and/or appropriate anti-corruption agencies to ensure the protection and guarantee the safety and security of journalist, Jaafar, who reportedly published the video clips.”

“Given the history of corruption in Nigeria, especially unresolved allegations of grand corruption against many state governors, your government cannot and should not look the other way regarding the allegations against Mr. Ganduje. Any allegation of bribery and abuse of power in any state of Nigeria is of concern to every Nigerian, and should therefore, be of concern to your government.

“The obligations of your government to combat corruption in Nigeria extend to all the three tiers of government, namely, the Federal Government, state government and local government. Although primarily a matter of concern for Kano State, the allegations of bribery against Ganduje have assumed such a proportion as to become a matter of concern to the federation as a whole, and therefore, to your government,” the group further stated.

Meanwhile, divergent views are trailing the constitution of a seven-member committee inaugurated to investigative the alleged bribery scandal levelled against Ganduje.

A former Vice President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Isa Tijani, while addressing journalists yesterday in Kano, said the Assembly was not entrusted with the constitutional provisions to investigate the alleged bribery scandal.

He said the panel members might be overlapping their responsibility for embarking on cases with criminal tendencies.

But Chairman of Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) in Kano, Lawan Musa, said the Assembly reserved the constitutional responsibility to set up the panel primarily to investigate the matter.

Musa, in a telephone chat with The Guardian, however said that what the panel does not possess was the power to invite the governor to the public hearing prove his innocence.

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