Sokoto government, PDP trade accusations of fraud, wasteful spending

The Sokoto State government and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which the immediate past governor, Aminu Tambuwal, belongs to, have accused each other of fraud and wasteful spending.

The conflict began on Tuesday, when the state government petitioned the State Commission of Inquiry, alleging that the administration of Mr Tambuwal diverted ₦16.1 billion worth of shares through the state’s investment company.

The counsel to the commission, Amanzi Amanzi, said the proceeds from the sale of government shares between 2018 and 2023 were allegedly unaccounted for.

He said the commission received the petition from the Permanent Secretary (Political), Abdullahi Yabo, who called for an investigation into the entire process of the transfer and eventual sale of the state government’s shares, as well as the whereabouts of the proceeds.

“The petition, which was written by the Permanent Secretary (Political), Abdullahi Yabo, from the Office of the Secretary to the State Government, calls for an investigation into the sale of government shares through the Sokoto State Investments Company Limited, sometime in 2018.

“The Accountant General at the time transferred all the state government’s shares through a letter to the Sokoto State Investment Company Limited. Between 2018 and 2023, all the shares were sold, and the proceeds were not accounted for.

“The commission was called to investigate the sales and the whereabouts of the said proceeds, which were estimated at ₦16.1 billion,” the state government said.

Reaction

However, in a swift response on Wednesday, the PDP under which Mr Tambuwal governed Sokoto in that period in turn accused the state government of financial recklessness.

It said the state is catching the attention of the entire nation for negative reasons under the administration of Ahmad Aliyu and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The PDP publicity secretary, Hassan Sanyinnawal, in a statement, said the governor was sustaining the negative tempo by spending billions of naira on wire fencing of streets in the Sokoto metropolis.

He said it is ironic this was happening in one of the states hardest hit by the effects of the bad economic policies of the APC government at the federal level.

“We find it regrettable that under Ahmed Aliyu, Sokoto State is right now, proving to be the pace-setter in governmental financial recklessness. The people have not gotten over the debacle of the Governor’s spending of N1.2 billion on the repair of 25 boreholes, the rationale for which he is still struggling to explain to the entire nation. That is against the unfolding scandal of the Governor’s wife trailing the media space for the infamy of partaking in a reckless birthday dollar spray, inspite of the dire economic conditions of the masses of her state.

“The PDP, shares the indignation of the masses of Sokoto State over the fact that rather than addressing this squandamania, the embattled governor is falling back on his usual desperate but feeble efforts to deflect public anger from his administration through the shadow chasing ploy of making false allegations against his predecessor, Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

“Ahmed Aliyu’s regime is reported to have ordered a probe by its organ of inquisition in the form of a Commission of Inquiry, of an alleged sales of the state government’s shares worth N16 billion by the previous government.

Mr Aminu Tambuwal

“Our party is however bold to assert that Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and his entire cabinet have never shied away from subjecting themselves to any investigation of their tenure in the government of Sokoto State. The former governor, members of his executive council and senior officials have willingly appeared before the Commission of Inquiry, whenever summoned, even though no tangible progress has been made in proving the trumped up allegations of wrongdoing against them both individually and collectively”, the PDP said in the statement.

The statement added that everyone who served under Mr Tambuwal was willing to testify before any commission of inquiry, claiming that the former administration in the state ran an open government.

“Consequently, all officials of the former government are ready and willing to report to the Commission to lay the facts bare on the orchestrated and attention diverting matter of the state’s shares in question. Aminu Waziri Tambuwal ran the most accountable and transparent government in the history of Sokoto State, a fact acknowledged by global assessment agencies and thus none of its operatives will be found to evade lawful inquiry.

“The reverse is however, proving to be the case with the current administration of Ahmed Aliyu, whose expenditure profile is the most controversial and procurement standards the most scandalous in the history of leadership in Sokoto State.

“The current government in Sokoto has, not even halfway through its tenure, recorded milestones in mindless and suspicious misappropriation of public funds. Apart from the N1.2 billion for the repair 25 boreholes racket and billions of Naira expenditure on the erection of wire fences on the streets of Sokoto Metropolis, close to a billion Naira has been allocated to the installation of street lights in the state capital, even though the poles were old and repainted. Ahmed Aliyu’s spending spree includes the allocation of N1.2 billion on the repair of five roundabouts in Sokoto Metropolis and another over N500 million to erect archways on all streets leading to the Government House.

“Our party deems as the most unfortunate, aspect of these outrageous and white elephant projects, their execution in total defiance of due process and the best practices of procurement. Firstly, none of the project contracts was awarded with the requisite approval of the State Executive Council or the call for tender. The works are carried out by faceless contractors, who are selected by patronage and according to the whims of the controllers of government.

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“The PDP notes that Ahmed Aliyu’s mindless squandering of Sokoto State’s finances is also causing concern and drawing opposition from within his own political party, the APC, as discontent is fast spreading through the ranks of the party. The Governor is currently under a two weeks deadline issued by the APC member of the House of Representatives for Gudu Tangaza Constituency, Sani Yakubu, to account for the over N200 billion federal allocations to local governments in the state.

“There is however, not much to account for Ahmed Aliyu’s one-and-a-half years regime. All his cosmetic projects are concentrated in the state capital and virtually confined within the vicinity of the Government House and GRA. The rural areas, as Sani Yakubu observed, are totally neglected, without any development project carried out with their huge allocated funds.

“The current government in Sokoto State is without doubt, the most financially irresponsible administration in the state’s entire history of governance, whether military or civilian and should therefore be probed by the relevant agencies. Our party is therefore, demanding that the EFCC and ICPC should investigate the financial practices of Ahmed Aliyu’s administration.

“We are particularly calling on the anti-graft agencies to discharge their statutory obligation by immediately commencing the probe of the N30 billion expenditure on the wire fencing of streets in the state capital in terms of cost and procedural propriety. This, our party feels, is in the interest of fairness and justice to the masses of Sokoto State and Nigeria at large”, the PDP stated.