The immediate past governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has approached a Kano State High Court in an effort to deny the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) the right to investigate him over the viral video clips that revealed how he was receiving a kickback.
In 2018, Daily Nigerian published the video clips of Ganduje stuffing bundle of dollars into his gown which was brought to him from a contractor.
The then Kano State governor debunked the content of the videos saying it was fabricated but the 9th Kano State House of Assembly set up a committee to investigate the allegations.
However, the committee neither submitted its findings nor bring up the issue until the end of the Assembly.
Barely three weeks after vacating the office that conferred immunity on him, Ganduje, through former Kano State Commissioner of Justice and Attorney General, Musa Lawan Abdullahi, filed a suit before the high court to restrain EFCC from probing him until a case between the former governor and the CEO of the Daily Nigerian, Jaafar Jaafar, is decided.
Ganduje whose All Progressive Congress (APC) lost governorship election in Kano, asked the court to declare that the invitation and interrogation of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) chairman and accountant general of the state in relation with the video as illegal.
The former governor, among other things prayed the court for “A declaration of this Honourable Court that by virtue of the supremacy of the 1999 constitution as established by Sections 1 (1) thereof, since the Kano state house of assembly has begun investigation pursuant to its powers under section 128 of the 1999 constitution in connection with the video clips of bribery allegation against Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
“The defendant cannot exercise its investigative powers under the Sections 6, 7, 13 and 46 of the Economic and Financial Crimes (Establishment) Act 2004 (EFCC ACT), until after the Kano state house of assembly concludes or bring its investigation to an end.
“A declaration of this Honourable Court that by virtue of the supremacy of the 1999 constitution as established by Sections I (1) thereof, and the doctrine of separation of powers since there is a pending Case No: CV/1598/2021, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduic y, Jaafar Jafaar & Anor, before high court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja (Coram: Hon. Justice Y. Halilu) in which Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje is challenging the authenticity of the said video clips.
“The defendant cannot exercise its investigative powers under the sections 6, 7 and 13 of the Economic and Finance Crimes (Establishment) Act 2004 (CFCC ACT), until after the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja (Coram: Hon. Justice Y. Halilu) has decided the matter before it.”
