By Aliyu Dangida
Association of Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGON) has urged the Chairman of Kano State NNPP Gubernatorial Transition Committee to desist from heating up the polity and creating unnecessary tension in the state with issuing advisory that can lead to chaos.
The ALGON Kano State Chairman, Bappa Muhammad made the call in a statement on Friday, reacting to allegation against local government chairmen in the state on round tripping of public funds between their councils and the State’s Ministry for Local Governments to finance supplementary elections coming up soonest by the NNPP Gubernatorial Transition Committee Chairman.
ALGON in the statement said,’’ The attention of ALGON , Kano State has been drawn to a ‘Public Advisory No.3’ issued in the above titled and signed by AB Baffa Bichi, alleging that Local Government Chairmen are planning to siphon public funds to finance the forthcoming supplementary elections of State and Federal constituencies in the state.’’
It called on the committee chairman to trade with caution as such a public outburst may not augur well in this democratic dispensation.
‘’Spurious allegations of this nature are common whenever there is a change in the baton of leadership, numerous examples abound,’’ the statement said.
‘’In particular , we wish to remind the signatory of the said ‘Advisory’ to a similar allegation made against the former Governor of Kano State, Dr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso in 2014 of using public funds siphoned from the 44 LGs to finance his presidential ambition. It could be recalled that the sum of seventy million naira was alleged to have been illegally sourced from each of the 44 Local Governments for that purpose , a case of which is still pending before the Anti-Corruption Agencies.’’
The statement noted that this is meant to set the records straight, adding that though the ‘Advisory’ was issued prior to the gubernatorial election and subsequent inauguration of the Transition Committee (signed and dated the 060323).
