By Akinwale Kasali
Civil Society Groups which are anti-corruption crusaders have criticized, in strong terms, the Federal Government for initiating legal proceedings against Muhuyi Magaji, the Executive Chairman of Kano State’s Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission.
The Group said it is a witch-hunt, allegedly, influenced by the All
Progressive Congress, APC, party Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, through the Code of Conduct Bureau, CCB.
A statement issued and signed by Zikrillahi Ibrahim of CHRICED, Rafsanjani Auwal Musa of CISLAC, Mohammed Bougei Attah of Procurement Observation and Advocacy Initiative, and Olanrewaju Suraju of HEDA Resource Centre, asserted that the charges brought against the Kano State PCAC boss by the Code of Conduct Bureau were orchestrated by certain politicians with the intent to undermine the anti-corruption efforts in Kano State.
The statement highlighted the irony of the Code of Conduct Bureau’s failure to take action against several politicians, despite overwhelming evidence, including the former governor of Kano State, who is now the current All Progressive Congress (APC) National Chairman.
It also questioned the unprecedented speed of investigations and charges against the Kano anti-corruption Chairman, attributing it to a desire to shield corrupt practices by the immediate past government of Kano State and divert attention from the anti-corruption drive in Kano.
The groups further called for a change in the leadership of the Code of Conduct Bureau as part of the broader reshuffling of leaderships of the anti-graft agencies by the Tinubu-led administration.
“The allegations against Muhuyi Magaji were dissected, with emphasis on the questionable nature of the bribery accusation involving the former Secretary to the State Government in Kano. This also raised doubts about the validity of the charges, questioning whether the Code of Conduct Bureau was the appropriate entity to address bribery allegations”.
Furthermore, the anti-corruption group challenged the inconsistency in the application of legal action, pointing out that many governors accused of corruption and facing charges by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) have not been similarly pursued by the Code of Conduct Bureau.
The groups, however, maintained that the focus on Muhuyi Magaji was not just about Ganduje, but was deliberate, implying that the Code of Conduct Bureau had become a tool in the hands of politicians for persecution due to the scrutiny faced by Ganduje and his associates under the Kano government.
The Group said the CCB’s selective investigation and prosecution has made a mockery of the Bureau’s intention and commitment to the anti-corruption drive.
