Former governor of Kano State Abdullahi Ganduje has asked the state High Court to perpetually restrain the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) from inviting or probing him over bribery claims.
Ganduje appeared in video clips in 2018 allegedly receiving bundles of dollar notes from a contractor and stuffing them in his cloth.
On his behalf, the former attorney general of Kano, in a suit seen by TheCable, asked the court to restrain the anti-graft agency from investigating him until a suit between Ganduje and Jafaar Jafaar, publisher of the Daily Nigerian, is determined.
Daily Nigerian first published the video of Ganduje allegedly receiving bribe.
Ganduje prayed 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.
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 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.”
While Ganduje debunked the bribery claim, the Kano House of Assembly subsequently set up a committee to investigate the allegations.
But the report was not turned in. A new assembly has now been inaugurated.
