Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje says he is probing his predecessor, Sen. Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso over multi-billion naira 5 kilometre road projects.
Ganduje who dropped the hint yesterday while inaugurating 12 campaign committees for his second term bid, said Kano Stat government had taken the matter to the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).
Ganduje explained that the EFCC had gone far in its investigation into the matter in terms of how the money meant for the construction of 5 kilometre roads in the 44 local governments of Kano state were diverted for Kwankwaso’s presidential campaign in 2015.
He said so far, the EFCC was able to discover how the fund was collected from the 44 local governments and was changed into dollar.
He said, “I was the deputy governor when the project was conceived. Ninety per cent of the total sum of the contract was provided by the 44 local governments while the remaining 10 per cent was provided by the state government.
“However, Kwankwaso collected the 90 per cent from the 44 local government, paid the mobilisation fee and funded his presidential campaign with the remaining balance. The Kwankwasiyya people have started campaigning with the 5km road project but I will expose them,” Ganduje said.
When contacted, Comrade Aminu Abdulsalam, a commissioner when Kwankwaso was governor, said the allegation raised by Ganduje was nothing “but a new amusing topic to divert people’s attention.”
Abdulsalam, who is the running mate to the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Engineer Abba Kabir Yusuf, confirmed that the contract was conceived and awarded under Kwankwaso’s regime.
He, however, said it was awarded from Ganduje’s office when he was the deputy governor and commissioner for local government.
“Let him tell the public how the contract was awarded, what happened to it and who the contractors are. The 5km road project was not the case investigated by the EFCC and is not Ganduje that took the case to EFCC. The EFCC has finished that case,” he said.
Daily Trust