A non-governmental organisation, Human and Environmental Development Agenda, has approached the court to compel the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to probe the bribery allegations against Kano state Governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.
According to the HEDA, it has become necessary to compel the CJN to do the right thing after a Kano State High Court halted Ganduje’s probe by the Kano State House of Assembly. The group added that a letter it sent to the CJN requesting Ganduje’s probe was also ignored.
Speaking through a statement on Thursday, HEDA’s Chairman, Olanrewaju Suraju, said the group is seeking an order of mandamus against the CJN in relation to Ganduje’s probe.
He said the suit, which HEDA filed before the Federal High Court in Abuja, had already been assigned to a judge, who had fixed March 21 for hearing.
Suraju said HEDA sought “an order granting leave to it to apply for a judicial review to seek an order directing the Chief Justice of Nigeria to investigate the allegations against Ganduje based on Section 52 of the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission Act 2000 (as amended).”
HEDA wants the court to make the CJN setup a panel to “investigate the grave allegations against the Kano State Governor.”
It will be recalled that a journalist, Jafaar Jafaar, had last year released a series of video clips online, wherein Ganduje was allegedly shown taking American dollar bills from a contractor and stuffing same into the pocket of his clothes.
The Kano State House of Assembly had commenced a probe to ascertain the veracity of the video clips, but a Kano State High Court made an order, halting the probe.
Following the court order, the chairman of the probe committee, Baffa Dan- Agundi, had said, “We have received a court order that we should stop investigating the video clips showing Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, allegedly collecting bribe.”