Ganduje Denies Bribery Charges, Calls Them ‘Trumped-Up’

Abdullahi Ganduje, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has dismissed the bribery charges against him as “trumped-up”, following an eight-count charge filed by the Kano State Government.

The charges stem from a 2018 incident where Daily Nigerian, an online newspaper, published a video purportedly showing Ganduje, then governor of Kano, receiving bundles of dollars from contractors, which he allegedly stuffed into his traditional outfit, a “babanriga”.

The newspaper claimed that Ganduje had requested $5 million in bribes from the contractors who recorded the video.

In a statement on Friday, Edwin Olofu, Chief Press Secretary to Ganduje, emphasized that the charges are part of a diversionary tactic by the current Kano State Governor, Abba Yusuf, to deflect attention from his administration’s shortcomings.

Ganduje’s camp argues that the Kano government has failed to acknowledge a Federal High Court ruling, which stated that the alleged offence is a federal one that can only be prosecuted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF).

Ganduje and his team have called upon the Kano State Government to redirect its focus towards addressing the needs of the people in the state, rather than pursuing what they consider to be baseless charges.

They maintain that the former governor’s tenure in Kano was free from any wrongdoing and that the current administration should follow his blueprint for the sustainable development of the state.

The ongoing legal battle between Ganduje and the Kano State Government has captured the attention of the Nigerian public, as the allegations and denials continue to fuel political tensions within the state.

It remains to be seen how the situation will unfold and whether the charges against Ganduje will be pursued further in the legal system.