Jigawa State Seeks Investigation into Ganduje’s Misappropriation Allegation

Sunday Okobi

In the wake of numerous allegations against former Governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, the Jigawa State Commissioner for Special Duties, Government House, Auwal Sankara, has made a formal request to the Kano State, Office of the Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission, seeking a thorough investigation into the alleged misappropriation of land and houses belonging to the Jigawa State Government by the Ganduje-led administration.

The request contained in a letter issued and signed by the commissioner, addressed to the commission, raised concerns over the status of a specific land parcel, identified as plot number 133, part of TP/UDB/173 at Farm Centre.

Alongside the land, the letter also highlights the need to investigate the status of several GP houses allocated to Jigawa State during an assets-sharing process between the sister states on May 5, 1993.

The letter by Sankara said: “I hereby submit a request for an investigation of the status of the land belonging to the Jigawa State Government with plot number 133 part of TP/UDB/173 at Farm Centre and the under-listed GP houses allocated to Jigawa State during the assets sharing between the sister States on May 5, 1993.”

The state legal action is the latest in a series of misconduct allegations against Ganduje, rumoured to emerge as Minister in Tinubu’s cabinet or the next national Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The ex-governor is now grappling with the ramifications of the new lawsuit, which further intensifying the scrutiny on his track records. The state’s legal action comes on the heels of existing allegations, including bribery, as demonstrated in the resurfaced 2018 video clip where Ganduje allegedly collected bundles of dollar notes.

“The public’s disapproval has been increasingly high, with growing demands for accountability and justice,” it stated.

Many Nigerians and various interest groups have expressed their concerns about the former governor’s fitness for public office, asserting that the alleged misconduct demonstrates a lack of moral integrity and disregard for the rule of law.

However, sources have suggested that the former governor has garnered support from President Bola Tinubu and the Progressives Governors’ Forum, fueling even more public discontent.

Sharing a similar position, the National Vice Chairman for North-West region recently expressed his displeasure in a letter to the Progressive Governors’ Forum over its alleged choice of Ganduje.

“I want to strongly appeal to Your Excellency, as the PGF Chairman, to kindly return PGF to its conventional role of acting as the conscience of the party by ensuring that the party always takes the right decisions, which will protect the interest of every member, every region and all interest,” the letter added.

The former governor faced numerous high-profile allegations throughout his tenure, casting shadows on his leadership.