Former Governor Abdullahi Ganduje has filed a plea with a High Court in Kano, seeking to prevent the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from investigating him.
Ganduje is requesting a court order that will shield him from the ongoing EFCC investigation into videos that allegedly showed him receiving stacks of dollars from a contractor.
In response to the public outrage surrounding the scandal, the Kano House of Assembly established a committee to investigate the allegations of bribery. However, the committee has yet to submit its report.
Ganduje’s legal team is urging the court to declare that the interrogation of the former Chairman of the State Universal Basic Education Board (SUBEB) and former Accountant General, in relation to the video, is illegal. The suit, which was filed by the Attorney General during Ganduje’s tenure, is based on Section 1(1) of the 1999 constitution.
The legal documentation argues that since the state lawmakers have already initiated an investigation into the video in accordance with their powers under Section 128 of the 1999 constitution, the EFCC’s involvement is unnecessary.
Ganduje is seeking a declaration from the court that there is an ongoing case (No: CV/1598/2021) between him and Jaafar Jafaar & Anor before the FCT High Court, in which he challenges the authenticity of the video. The suit further emphasizes that the EFCC should refrain from exercising its investigative powers under Sections 6, 7, and 13 of the EFCC (Establishment) Act 2004 (CFCC ACT) until the FCT High Court, Abuja has reached a decision on the matter.
The video in question was originally published in 2018 by Daily Nigerian. In the face of threats of incarceration, the publisher Jaafar Jaafar and his family fled to the United Kingdom.
