EFCC, CCB probe former Ganduje’s point man, Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado
Two Nigerian anti-graft agencies have launched investigations into the activities of Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, chairman of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission (PCACC).
The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) have summoned the PCACC chairman to scritinise his financial affairs.
Rimingado was appointed PCACC chairman by the former governor of Kano State, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, who was involved in an alleged bribery scandal associated with some well-circulated video clips showing him stuffing dollars in his pocket.
At the time Nigerians were clamouring for the videos to be investigated by Rimingado, he refused to do the needful.
Rimingado, in fact, joined other politicians defending the former governor, saying the videos were doctored. He specifically said the videos could not stand legal scrutiny.
Observers said he could actually be in cohort with Ganduje in bribery-taking and inducement of election officials in 2019, and that may have accounted for the reason he so passionately defended Ganduje and refused to investigate him since.
Things however got awry between the two and Ganduje booted him out of the PCACC, an action a court of law said was unlawfully carried out. The court ordered his reinstatement, but the Ganduje government refused to heed the court’s order.
Rimingado exited the All Progressives Congress (APC) and worked with the New Nigerian Peoples Part (NNPP) to kick out the former from the state’s administration.
The NNPP administration decided to reinstate Rimingado in compliance with the court’s order.
In a twisted turn of events, Rimingado suddenly began to revisit Ganduje’s video saga, and quickly claimed that they were genuine, contrary to his earlier passionate stand that they were ‘doctored’.
He then addressed a press conference just to announce that he has sent a letter to invite Ganduje to appear before the PCACC as part of the investigations to unravel the video issue.
Ganduje, on the other hand, went on to become the national chairman of the APC despite all the allegations of financial misconduct against him, and in spite of the video incident.
Some have said the investigations are a witch-hunt masterminded by Ganduje to balance the intimidation equation.
True as that may be in Nigeria, Rimingado, like Ganduje, may have questions to answer about his stewardship at the PCACC.
There are allegations that transparency and accountability have not been his strong points all along.
While it is questionable that the EFCC and the CCB are opening investigations into Rimingado’s affairs and neglecting Ganduje’s, it is still unclear if his ordeal was triggered by a new or an exiting petition. Of course, petitions against Ganduje have allegedly been lying with the EFCC for years without action.
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