Court stops Kano assembly from probing Ganduje

A high court in Kano on Monday ordered the Kano state house of assembly to stop investigating allegations that Abdullahi Ganduje,  governor of the state, received bribe from contractors.

This followed a legal action taken by a pro-democracy group called Lawyers For Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria.

After videos of the governor allegedly receiving kickback went viral, the assembly set up a panel to investigate the issue.

The panel summoned Jafar Jafar, publisher of Daily Nigerian, the platform which released the materials and subsequently summoned Ganduje who failed to honour the invitation but sent a representative.

The panel had slated November 6 for playing the video clips in the process of investigation.

At the court on Monday, A.T Badamasi, the presiding judge, ordered the assembly to suspend the probe.

Badamasi gave the order on Monday while ruling on an ex parte application by one Muhammad Zubair, the National Coordinator of Lawyers for Sustainable Democracy in Nigeria.

Badamasi also issued a four-day ultimatum for the respondents to respond to the application and ordered the parties involved to ‘maintain status quo ante’ pending the hearing of the motion on notice.

He thereafter adjourned the case till Monday next week for the hearing.

Joined as defendants in the suit are the Kano assembly, the house committee investigating the allegation and the attorney-general and commissioner of justice in the state.