The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, has dismissed allegations that protesters in Kano stole sensitive documents related to his ongoing corruption trial in the state.
Ganduje described the claims as “baseless and comical,” stating that the accusations were an attempt to tarnish his reputation.
The Kano State government had in a statement on Wednesday stated that documents related to the corruption trial of the former Kano governor were stolen during the recent nationwide protests that led to vandalism and looting of the State High Court.
But reacting in a statement released on Thursday by his Chief Press Secretary, Edwin Olofu, Ganduje accused the Kano State government led by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf of sponsoring the violent protest that turned bloody.
The former Kano state governor claimed that the protest was orchestrated by the Kano State government to discredit the administration of President Bola Tinubu, of which Ganduje is a member in.
He however condemned the incident as a reckless and irresponsible attempt to destabilize Kano, undermine regional peace and security, and damage the reputation of the President.
Ganduje called for a federal investigation into the Kano State government’s alleged involvement in the unrest. He also emphasized that those responsible for the violence must be held accountable to prevent the establishment of a dangerous precedent in other states.
Ganduje mocked the suggestion that protesters could have specifically targeted and stolen documents related to his trial.
He noted: “It is laughable that governance has been reduced to a huge joke in Kano state that the state government will condescend low to suggesting that demonstrators broke into a court and carefully selected documents relating to the trial of the APC National Chairman, handpicked them and take them away in this digital age, no discerning mind will buy into this pedestrian propaganda.
“What happened to the documents with the government lawyers? The state government is bereft of ideas on how to run the affairs of the state and has always resorted to churning out myriads of corruption allegations against the former governor of the state Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and his family who served the state diligently.
“This claim is nothing more than a desperate attempt by Governor Yusuf’s administration to divert attention from their culpability in the violence that erupted in the state.
“The insinuation that such critical documents could be carted away during a protest is not only far-fetched but also a clear indication of the state’s growing incompetence in handling both security and legal matters.”