Gov. Ganduje’s wife shuns EFCC invitation over alleged fraud reported by son

The wife of Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, Dr Hafsat Ganduje, has shunned an invitation extended to her by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission ( EFCC), to report for questioning, last week, over a bribery and land fraud case reported by her son, Abdulaziz.

Hafsat  Ganduje was invited to report last Thursday to the Abuja headquarters of the EFCC.

According to PREMIUM TIMES, Abdulazeez had dragged his mum, Hafsat Ganduje, to the EFCC, sources familiar with the matter said, suggesting a pattern of corruptly using family access to power for private enrichment.

 Solacebase recalls that Gov.  Ganduje had previously been involved in a corruption-related scandal. He has struggled to untangle himself from the public perception that he is a corrupt public servant since 2018 when Daily Nigerian published a series of videos that showed the governor collecting money from a government contractor.

Similarly, the suspended Chairman of Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-corruption Commission, Muhuyi Magaji Rimin-Gado was said to have started an investigation on the wife of the governor over an alleged contract scam at the Cancer centre under construction by the state government.

Sources said that it was part of the issues that consumed the suspended chairman for launching an investigation into activities of Hafsat Ganduje.

In a letter with reference number PCACC/CM/OFF/VOL.1/071 dated June 10, 2021, and signed by the then chairman of the commission, Muhuyi Rimingado, the commission requested the commissioner of the Ministry of Works to provide information relating to the construction of Cancer Center and the supply of diesel by the state government.

“In the exercise of its powers under Section 9 and Section 15 of the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission Law 2008 (as amended), the Commission is currently conducting an investigation which requires you to provide the following details:-

Read Also:Dollar Videos: Court orders Ganduje to pay Daily Nigerian, Jaafar Jaafar N400,000 each

“(a) All documents relating to Cancer Centre

“(b) All documents pertaining to procurement of Diesel.

“(c) Any other information that will aid the Commission’s investigation.”

Credible sources told this newspaper that bulk diesel supply in government ministries, departments and agencies is the exclusive preserve of the first family.

It was gathered that the contract for the construction of the Cancer Centre, believed to be handled by a proxy of the first family, is undergoing a series of variations, which calls for concern of the commission.

The contract for the Cancer Centre was initially awarded at the cost of N2.4 billion but currently stands at over N5billion due to a series of variations.

It was gathered that there is alleged round-tripping in the diesel supply contracts, such that funds were allegedly released without the supply of the commodity.

According to sources who saw Abdulazeez’s petition, he reported that he was approached by a property developer to help facilitate the acquisition of some plots of land in Kano with some hundreds of thousands of US dollars and at least 35 million Naira as “facilitation commission”.

 PREMIUM TIMES further learnt that Abdulazeez said he paid the sum in dollars to his mother, Mrs Ganduje.

Read Also:Ganduje perfects plan to remove Kano anti- corruption boss, Muhuyi Magaji as commission probes his family

 “But three months later, (the property developer) discovered that the plots of land he wanted and had paid the first family for had been allocated to other buyers and he then requested to be refunded,” one source added.

However, Solacebase contacted Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Abba Anwar for comment, but his phone was not attended to

EFCC’s spokesperson, Wilson Uwujaren, did not comment on the matter when contacted on Monday.

 But insiders said Mrs Ganduje could be arrested if she refuses to report for questioning. Unlike her husband, who by virtue of his office, enjoys immunity from arrest and prosecution, Mrs Ganduje enjoys no such constitutional immunity.