Kano Anti-Graft Agency Gets Acting Head, as Ganduje Bruises Former Chairman
Kano State governor, Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, on Thursday, approved the appointment of Mahmoud Balarabe as the acting executive chairman of Kano State Public Complaint and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC).
Ganduje’s media aide, Abba Anwar, said in a statement that Balarabe’s appointment was with immediate effect.
In the statement, Anwar said the governor directed the acting executive chairman to discharge his duties diligently and in accordance with the laid down procedures and law establishing the commission.
Balarabe’s appointment followed the suspension of erstwhile chairman, Muhuyi Magaji Rimingado, over allegations bothering on unaccountability and rejection of appointment of an accountant from the office of the accountant-general of the state.
The state House of Assembly on Monday suspended Muhuyi and constituted a committee to look into the allegations against him.
Muhuyi’s trouble was said to have started when he began to peek into the involvement of the governor’s family in the execution of state projects.
He had always maintained that the commission was independent, even though he had so far failed to investigate issues around the governor’s involvement in an alleged bribery scandal.
Observers have asked why Muhuyi was interested in unraveling an alleged misappropriation of public fund by the governor’s family this time.
A source said Muhuyi was angered by the governor’s deliberate refusal to back his attempt to secure a federal appointment recently.
There was also the allegation that he was disappointed at the governor’s refusal to back his political ambition to become the next governor of the state.
Those close to Muhuyi said he had been under the impression that Ganduje will choose him as a successor. It was laughable ambition, but Muhuyi had stuck to it for long, and when he recently realized that the governor was not even putting him under the slightest consideration, he was offended.
Sources said he developed an attitude toward the governor and began a probe of the governor’s family.
A letter of inquiry he wrote to a state ministry to ask for details of how the state’s Cancer Centre was built was sent to the governor for clearance.
The governor was angered by the inquiry and refused to officially give any official order on whether or not the ministry should honour Muhuyi’s letter.
He however verbally told the commissioner involved not to grant any information to Muhuyi.
The battle line had been drawn.
Issues began to be raised about how Muhuyi was living beyond his legitimate means, and how he was reckless with spending PCACC’s money.
An accountant and an auditor were sent to the commission to unravel his alleged unaccountability, and he rejected them, thereby setting the stage for the complaint that eventually led to his suspension.
The state House of Assembly committee set up to investigate the allegations against him was given a month to submit its report.
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