KANO, Nigeria – The Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission, PCACC, has issued a summons on Thursday, July 6, 2023, to former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje over videos that surfaced in 2017 allegedly showing him collecting kickbacks from contractors.
The ex-governor had denied these allegations, claiming the videos were doctored.
Barr. Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, chairman of PCACC, said at a one-day public dialogue on ‘Anti-Corruption Crusade in Kano’ that the videos have been authenticated through forensic analysis.
In an appearance on Channels TV’s Lunchtime Politics, Rimingado revealed that the commission had sent an invitation letter to the former governor, asking him to provide information in the ongoing investigation.
“I have signed a letter to invite him for questioning at the commission next week because this is what the law says and we will provide ample opportunity for him to defend himself,” Rimingado said.
He stressed that the commission believes in the legal maxim “innocent until proven guilty,” and the investigation will provide the ex-governor an opportunity to clear his name.
However, a group named Coalition for Northern Civil Society Group condemned the commission’s move to investigate the videos.
They alleged that this action, taken in conjunction with the Kano state government, is a scheme to tarnish the ex-governor’s reputation and hinder any prospects of him securing a position in the President Bola Tinubu-led federal government.
Mohammad Lawal Shuaibu, the secretary of the group, who also appeared on the Channels TV program, criticized the focus of the investigation.
He pointed out that since the video emerged in 2018, attention has been on the alleged “receiver,” while the “giver” of the supposed bribe has not been examined.
The case has drawn significant attention in Kano and across Nigeria, as citizens and various stakeholders await the outcome of the investigation and the former governor’s response to the allegations.
