Mohammed Shosanya
Civil Society Organizations have faulted the Federal Government for initiating legal proceedings against Muhuyi Magaji, the Executive Chairman of Kano State’s Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission, under the influence of the All-Progressive Congress (APC) party Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, through the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB).
Their position was conveyed in a statement issued by representatives of the groups and made available to Premium News on Sunday.
The statement was signed by Dr. 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.
Magaji was arraigned on Thursday on a 10-count charge over alleged breach of the code of conduct for public officers, conflict of interest, abuse of office, false asset declaration, bribery, and accepting gifts, among others.
The defendant pleaded not guilty and was granted bail in the sum of N5 million with two sureties.
The groups maintained 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 emphasized 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 punctured 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 advocated the need 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’s administration.
The statement added:”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”.
Besides,the anti-corruption groups 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.
They,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 CCB’s selective investigation and prosecution has made a mockery of the Bureau’s intention and commitment to the anti-corruption drive,they lamented.
