Former Governor of Kano State and Senator representing Kano South Senatorial District Kabiru Gaya has been accused of vote buying ahead of the forthcoming general elections.
Speaking at a press conference in Kano, Abdulrahman Kawu Sumaila alleged that the Senator, hiding under the guise of embarking on an empowerment programme, has been distributing N5000 each to 1000 beneficiaries in the 16 local councils in the zone.
Sumaila, a former member of the House of Representatives and NNPP senatorial candidate, insisted that sharing money with beneficiaries two weeks before the forthcoming elections was in breach of the election laws.
Sumaila appealed to the police, the Independent Corrupt Practices and related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to invite him over for questioning and prosecution while appealing to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to act.
Sumaila also accused him of using his position as the Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC in bad faith, disclosing that he usually drops the name of the Institution in the course of his campaign activities in the senatorial zone
He appealed to the Chairman of INEC, Professor Mahmoud Yakubu to take steps to distance himself from the Senator adding that doing so would revive public confidence in the ability of INEC to present a level playing field for all.
Sumaila described the last sixteen years of his representation of the people of Kano South in the upper house as unfortunate, saying he has failed to use his positions to uplift the people of the zone.
He recalled that under his watch the Kano Maiduguri Expressway awarded in 2006 has reminded uncompleted, adding thatthe uncompleted portion of the highway has been responsible for scores of accidents and deaths of the people in the area.
Efforts to get Senator Kabiru Gaya to respond to these allegations were unsuccessful. (The Sun)
