The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kano State chapter, Prince Abdullahi Abbas, has demanded that the Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the State Government to investigate the immediate past administration in the state ought to start from 1999 to 2003 and 2011 to 2015 when 70 per cent of the state government properties were allegedly sold or fraudulently allocated to friends and families.
In a statement issued in Kano, on Saturday, the APC chair further observed that the composition of the commission’s membership revealed that it was made up of members of the NNPP and other partisan politicians.
“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.
This singular act clearly shows that the commission has been assigned with a duty to witch-hunt and politically victimise the subjects of investigation in the unwarranted assignment,” he said.
Prince Abbas also urged that the government should be upright in its dealings “by not selfishly restricting its investigation to between 2015 and 2023.”
“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 N3 billion was also earmarked for a particular project but misappropriated by Kwankwaso during his presidential campaign in Lagos when N70 million was released by each local government,” he explained.
The Chairman said that just as it is claiming to be fair to all, the government should invite all the 44 local government council chairmen who served during Kwankwaso’s administration to give an account of what really transpired in order to unravel the mystery behind the alleged misappropriated funds.
He further said that there were instances of misuse of public funds when the Kwankwaso administration allegedly took a machiavellian reform of the pension law to use over N4 billion from Pension Trust Fund to misappropriate pensioner’s fund between 2011 – 2015 which impact, Prince Abbas said, is still revibrating on the toiling pensioners in the state.
“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,” he said.
The Chairman said key stakeholders of this government, including the Secretary to the State Government, a commissioner and two advisers also threatened to kill judges of the 2023 Election Petition Tribunal in a viral video, but nothing was done to assuage the situation.
“It is shocking and disturbing that despite the threat to lives meted out by one of the Commissioners against the Judicial officers, his name was resubmitted to the Kano State House of Assembly for further confirmation as Commissioner and he has since been cleared by the said House.
“It is no doubt that the clearance of the said commissioner clearly demonstrates that evil deed is a ‘viable venture’ in the Government of Kano State because the doers are encouraged, appeased and rewarded abundantly.
“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.
“Members of the NNPP brandishing dangerous weapons, including guns, shooting sporadically during campaigns as a result of which some were killed and many others injured in Gwarzo and Wudil.
“While the All Progressives Congress (APC) will continue to be law-abiding, it will not, however, condone witch-hunt, political victimisation and persecution. The Government needs to be reminded that the mentioned scandals will one day be investigated,” the APC chair warned.
