Dollar Bribe: Ganduje Seeks Court Intervention To Prevent EFCC Probe

Abdullahi Ganduje, the recently-departed governor of Kano State, has sought the state’s High Court to permanently enjoin the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, or EFCC, from interviewing or inviting him in connection with video footage in which he is allegedly seen accepting money from a contractor.

In 2018, the videos became popular on social media.

The videos, which were released by Daily Nigerian, allegedly showed the former governor accepting bundles of dollars and tucking them into his flowing “babanriga” attire.

The Kano House of Assembly then established a committee to look into the claims after the governor refuted the information in the recordings.

The committee is yet to turn in its report and a new assembly was inaugurated on Tuesday.

Ganduje, through the former Kano Attorney General, asked the court to declare that the invitation and interrogation of the State Universal Basic Education Board, SUBEB, chairman and Accountant General of Kano in connection to the video is illegal.

The EFCC is the only defendant in the suit.

Some of the prayers read: “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 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.”