The long-running political
battle between the Presidency and the Group of 7 Governors of the ruling
Peoples Democratic Party took a new twist Monday as two professionals from
Jigawa State accused Governor Sule Lamido of engaging in money laundering, and
demanded his resignation or impeachment.
Mr. Lamido, who is a member of
the dissident G7 governors, and his son, Aminu Lamido were the targets of the
professionals’ ire.
The call for the governor’s
resignation or impeachment was contained in a press statement titled, “Call for
immediate Resignation/Impeachment of Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State.” The
signatories expressed outrage and embarrassment at what they alleged to be the
governor’s primitive looting of Jigawa State treasury.
The statement was signed by Sani
Zoro, a former national president of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ),
and Ishaq Hadejia.
The statement, which was given
to SaharaReporters in Kano, drew attention to the magnitude of the allegations
of money laundering which the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC)
had compiled against Governor Lamido.
The statement demanded the
“immediate and unconditional resignation of Sule Lamido as Governor to
pave [the] way for more quick and comprehensive, unhindered investigations into
the allegations and also provide the governor with the opportunity to clear
himself where necessary in the whole allegations.”
Should the governor not resign,
the signatories called on the Jigawa State House of Assembly to commence his
impeachment in order to salvage the integrity of the indigenes of the State.
The signatories said they were
not surprised by the money laundering allegations against the governor or the
fact that two of the governor’s sons have been arraigned for corruption, adding
that Mr. Lamido’s sons had been involved in government transactions in Jigawa.
The two men who signed the statement accused the governor’s sons of involvement
in massive plundering of the state’s resources.
The statement warned “against
the use of our state money to facilitate the legal defense of the two accused
persons as they have no legal status whatsoever,” adding that the two sons “are
being charged in their individual capacity.”
The statement also called on the
EFCC to investigate the friends and cronies of Governor Lamido in order to
retrieve any state funds the governor may have given to them.
In a response, Ali Gantsa, the
Jigawa State Secretary of the PDP, dismissed the allegations against the
governor. He said the accusations against Mr. Lamido were unfounded, adding
that many eminent Nigerians regarded the governor as a better alternative to
President Goodluck Jonathan who he described as woeful failure.
He added that such politicians
as former military dictators Ibrahim Babangida and Olusegun Obasanjo had seen
good leadership qualities in Mr. Lamido.
Sahara Reporters
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