Court halts Kano Assembly from probing Ganduje over bribery allegation

A High court in Kano State has stopped Kano Assembly from probing alleged $5 million bribery against the state’s governor Abdullahi Ganduje.

The presiding judge, Justice A.T. Badamasi gave the order on Monday while ruling on an ex-parte application by one Muhammad Zubair, the National Coordinator of Lawyers for Sustainable Democratization of Nigeria.

Badamasi granted the application filed on behalf of the plaintiff by his counsel, Nuraini Jimoh.

Joined as defendants in the suit were the Kano State House of Assembly, the House committee investigating the allegation against Ganduje, and the Attorney General and Commissioner of Justice in the state.

It would be recalled that Daily Nigerian, an online medium published four videos in October showing someone it said was Ganduje receiving wads of cash, allegedly kickbacks, from contractors handling state projects.

The state assembly invited the governor to appear before last Friday to answer questions concerning the allegation.

He did not honour the invitation but instead sent the commissioner for information Muhammad Garba to represent him and denied that the governor took bribe.

“His Excellency has categorically and unapologetically denied collection of bribe as alleged by Daily Nigerian. His Excellency has not collected and will never collect bribe. The allegation is injurious and damaging to his personality,” he said.

But the publisher of Daily Nigerian Ja’afar Ja’afar, who last Monday appeared before the panel investigating insisted that the person in the video seen collecting bribe was the governor. He said the evidence was received from a whistle-blower.