The Association of All Local Government Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGON) Kano State chapter has denied that the state government is planning to use local government funds to finance elections logistics and vote buying in the 15 April supplementary election in the state.
The allegation was made by the Chairman of the Transition Committee of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP), Baffa Bichi. He claimed that chairmen of the 44 local governments in the state were planning to use funds belonging to their local councils to support the outgoing government.
“The 2023 NNPP Gubernatorial Transition Committee wishes to draw the attention of all the 44 Local Government Council Chairmen and their Managements and advise them to desist from the alleged round tripping of public funds between their councils and the State’s Ministry for Local Governments.
“We advise them not to allow themselves to be used, again, as conduits for siphoning public funds to finance the forthcoming supplementary elections in some states and federal constituencies of the State; and We further advise them to operate strictly by all the relevant financial regulations and extant guidelines, the NNPP’s transition committee said.
However, the Kano ALGON chairman, Baffa Muhammad, in the statement urged the NNPP to play politics with caution as such an allegation is capable of heating up.
‘’Spurious allegations of this nature are common whenever there is a change in the baton of leadership, numerous examples abound: 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 local government areas to finance his presidential ambition.
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“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 before the gubernatorial election and subsequent inauguration of the Transition Committee (signed and dated the 060323), the ALGON chairman said.
There are about 16 supplementary elections in Kano for the State House of Assembly and for the Doguwa/Tudun-Wada federal constituency that were declared inconclusive.
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