Probe Kwankwaso’s sale of 70% public property – Kano APC tells Panel of Inquiry set up by state government

The Judicial Commission of Inquiry set up by the Kano State Government to Investigate the administration of the immediate past Governor of the state, Abdullahi Ganduje, have been asked by the state’s chapter of the All Progressives Congress to begin their investigation from 1999-2003 and 2011-2015 when 70 per cent of government properties were allegedly “sold or fraudulently allocated to friends and families”. 

APC Chairman in the state, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas claimed the panel of inquiry is made up of members of the NNPP and other partisan politicians. He added that the state government should be upright in its dealings by not selfishly restricting its investigation to between 2015 and 2023.

He said;

“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.

“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 naira 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”.

Abbas also said the panel of inquiry should invite all the 44 local government council chairmen who served during the Kwankwaso administration to give an account of what transpired to unravel the mystery behind the misappropriated fund. He claimed that Kwankwaso’s administration took a Machiavellian reform of the pension law to use over N4 billion naira from the Pension Trust Fund to misappropriate pensioner’s funds between 2011-2015.

Abbas further claimed that the impact is still revibrating on the toiling pensioners in the state. He also alleged that 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.

The APC Chairman said;

“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.

“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 demonstrates that evil deed is a “viable venture” in the Government of Kano State because the doers are encouraged, appeased and rewarded abundantly.

“Between 1999-2003, 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 need to be reminded that the mentioned scandals will one day be investigated.”