Senator Jibrin’s loyalists threaten legal action over alleged $10m bribe scandal
Kola Oyelere, Kano
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A fresh crisis is reportedly brewing within the Kano State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as loyalists of the Deputy Senate President, Senator Barau I. Jibrin, have threatened to sue members of the defunct Gawuna Campaign Organisation over allegations that he and Senate President Godswill Akpabio collected a $10 million bribe to frustrate the confirmation of Engr. Abdullahi Garba Ramat as Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC).
The development follows claims by former Acting Managing Director of the Bank of Agriculture, Alwan Hassan, who accused the Senate leadership of deliberately obstructing Ramat’s confirmation for personal and political reasons.
According to Hassan, despite being screened and endorsed by the Senate Committee on Power, Ramat’s confirmation has been unfairly delayed. He alleged that the move was politically motivated and inconsistent with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s reform agenda for the power sector.
However, at a press conference in Kano on Friday, the Convener and Director-General of the Tinubu/Barau Support Groups Coalition, Comrade Hafizu Sani Liman (FIPMA), dismissed the allegations as “baseless, mischievous, and a desperate attempt to tarnish the hard-earned reputation of Senator Barau.”
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Liman, who spoke on behalf of several pro-Tinubu and Barau groups, said the allegations by the defunct Gawuna Campaign Organisation were “a calculated attempt by frustrated political actors to sow discord and discredit a man whose track record of service and loyalty to his people is well known.”
He further described the claims as “laughable and politically motivated,” stressing that the confirmation process for the NERC chairman had not yet been concluded.
“The Senate Committee on Power, chaired by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, has only completed the screening, and its report is yet to be presented before the Senate,” Liman explained.
He added that, constitutionally, the appointment of the NERC chairman remains the prerogative of the President, noting that Senator Jibrin had, in fact, lobbied his colleagues to ensure Ramat’s successful confirmation.
The coalition disclosed that it had already instructed its legal team to initiate legal proceedings against individuals or groups spreading what it called “falsehoods and malicious propaganda” against the Deputy Senate President.
Liman reiterated that Senator Jibrin remains committed to the progress of Kano State and the success of the APC-led administration, urging party members to resist attempts to create divisions within the ruling party.