The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Kano State, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, has called on Governor Abba Yusuf not to limit his probe of past administrations to his immediate-past predecessor, Abdullahi Ganduje, but to start from 1999 when the country returned to democracy.
In a statement he personally signed, Abbas asked Yusuf to specifically extend his probe to 1999 and 2003 and then 2011 to 2015, when his political godfather, Rabiu Kwankwaso, was Kano State governor.
According to the APC, those two periods were when 70 per cent of government properties were sold or fraudulently allocated to friends and families.
Abbas’ call on the Kano State government comes in the wake of two panels set up by the state government last week to probe the administration of Ganduje, who is now the National Chairman of the APC.
Besides the probe panels, the state government also filed bribery charges against Ganduje, his wife, Hafsat, son, Umar, and others, accusing them of taking kick-backs to the tune of $413,000 and N1.38bn.
In his statement on Saturday, the Kano APC chairman said, “The judicial commission of inquiry set up by the state government to investigate the immediate past administration in the state ought to have started from 1999-2003 and 2011-2015 when 70 per cent of government properties were sold or fraudulently allocated to friends and families.
“Interestingly, the sharing of the state assets happened right under the nose of Abba Kabir Yusuf when he was the Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport.
“From 2011-2015, the controversial five-kilometre road projects in the 44 local governments were awarded and only for the funds to be misappropriated without the project being executed.
“During the same period under review, over N3bn was also earmarked for a particular project but misappropriated by Kwankwaso during his Presidential Campaign in Lagos when N70m was released by each local government.”
The Kano APC said besides Kwankwaso, the government should also probe the 44 local government council chairmen who served during Kwankwaso’s administration.
It also faulted the composition of the probe panels, saying they were made up of members of the ruling New Nigeria People’s Party.
This singular act clearly shows that the commission has been assigned with a duty of witch-hunt to politically victimise the subjects of investigation in the unwarranted assignment.
“Since 2019 when they were in the opposition, the people of Kano were very much aware of how elements of this government and its supporters have threatened the peace in the state. Even while in government, the violence perpetrated to celebrate its coming to power is still fresh in our minds.
“Between 1999 and 2003, the violence that erupted in Kwankwaso town of Madobi local government when people objected to the crowning of Kwankwaso’s father with traditional title, lives were lost and properties vandalised.”