Ganduje ‘bribery’ videos: Contractor willing to testify before Kano assembly panel

The contractor behind the videos showing Abdullahi Ganduje, Kano governor, purportedly receiving bribes, says he is ready to testify before the state assembly panel investigating the matter.

In a letter sent to the chairman of the investigative panel, through Saeed Muhd Twada, his lawyer, the contractor referred to as a ‘whistleblower’ said his allegation against Ganduje is strictly personal and that he would appreciate if the governor also appears in person at the panel.

Daily Nigerian, an online newspaper, had published multiple videos showing Ganduje allegedly receiving kickbacks from contractors but the governor denied the allegations.

The Kano assembly subsequently set up a seven-man committee to investigate the allegation.

The unidentified contractor, however, said his appearance before the panel will be based on the fulfillment of some conditions which were listed in the letter.

One of the conditions is that all the video clips will be submitted to two experts for forensic analysis and report — one, a serving officer of the Department of State Services (DSS) and the other an expatriate, while their bills will be paid for by the state.

“That a Certified True Copy of the Report(s) prepared by the experts shall be made available to our client prior to his appearance,” the letter read.

“That our client has undertaken to surrender to the experts, the device used in capturing all the events in the video clips submitted and others yet to be submitted for discreet analysis and scrutiny.

“That all the proposed questions to be asked by the panel in the anticipated session shall not be more than TEN (10) and shall be forwarded to our client in advance.

“That the sitting be restricted to limited persons and that our client should be allowed to wear mask, bear pseudo name and receive protection from authorities for himself, family and business undertakings.”

The contractor also demanded that the panel must also have in attendance the governor, Jaafar Jaafar, publisher of Daily Nigerian newspaper, and one Aminu Daurawa.

At a hearing of the panel in October, Jaafar had insisted that the videos were authentic.

A high court in Kano on Monday ordered the state house of assembly to stop investigating the allegations against Ganduje following a legal action undertaken by a pro-democracy group called Lawyers For Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria. But the panel has insisted that it will continue with the probe.