The African Centre for Media and Information Literacy (AFRICMIL) has called on anticorruption agencies, the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) to probe video clips showing Kano State governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, allegedly receiving bribes from contractors.
AFRICMIL is a nongovernmental organisation working to promote accountability and good governance through whistle blowing and promotion of active citizens’ participation.
In a statement by AFRICMIL’s Coordinator, Chido Onumah, the organisation described the allegations against the governor as well as the video evidence as “too glaring to ignore.”
The allegations came into the open following publication of video clips by online news platform, Daily Nigerian, which showed Gov Ganduje collecting and stashing in his clothe bundles of US dollar from someone purported to be a contractor.
“The allegations are weighty. The videos we have seen further lend credence to the accusation and have made the affair too serious to ignore,” Onumah said.
He said the anticorruption agencies “should rise to the occasion by going to the root of this issue and possibly document evidence for eventual prosecution of all those found culpable.”
“We are aware that the hands of the anti-corruption agencies are somehow tied by constitutional immunity enjoyed by Mr. Ganduje. This, however, does not stop them from conducting preliminary investigation into the matter,” he noted.
According to Onumah, nothing in Section 308 of the constitution that gives immunity to the president and governors stops the anti-corruption agencies from interrogating Mr. Ganduje in the process of the investigation.
“Cases like this serve as litmus tests for the operational independence of our anticorruption agencies and political will of the government,” Onumah noted. “ICPC and EFCC must thoroughly investigate these videos which have become national embarrassment and prepare ahead for eventual prosecution of Gov. Ganduje if he is found culpable.”
The organisation commended Daily Nigerian for the exposure as well as the contractor who recorded the clips “for patriotic act of whistleblowing.”
Chido Onumah
Coordinator, African Centre for media & Information Literacy
