Bauchi State 7th assembly has been accused of collecting bribe in their desperation to exonerate Governor Mohammed Abubakar over N4bn loan he allegedly secured from bank without approval from the House. This was just as the lawmakers were said to have denied having any shoddy deals with the governor over approval to collect the loan from UBA.
Alhaji Nasiru Ibrahim Darazo, who made the allegation while speaking to reporters said, he has a clear evidence that the 7th assembly were bribed to help Abubakar perfect the N4bn loan which was obtained without the assembly approval.
Darazo tendered to newsmen a purported document allegedly signed by the state assembly where members allegedly collected N300,000 each and indicated that the house approved the said N4bn loan on 11th June, 2015 in an emergency meeting at the speaker’s official residence.
It could be recalled that a citizen and taxpayer in Bauchi, Alhaji Nasiru Ibrahim Darazo, had dragged the Governor before Bauchi State High Court, No 4 in a suit number BA/258/15 that seeks for the determination whether the Governor has the power within the provisions of section 128 and 129 of the 1999 constitution as amended to source for, collect and utilize the 4bn loan on behalf of the state government without the approval of the state House of Assembly.
"I have recorded voices of some of the former lawmakers who are pleading with me to drop the charges against the governor and how some of them indicated their weakness and involvement in the shoddy deals with the government agents after series of denials that they did not approved such loan to Abubakar,” Darazo stated.
He alleged that the former lawmakers were said to have held a meeting at Zango in one of their colleague’s residence and allegedly signed a document backdating the approval of the said loan after they were pacified with money.
Meanwhile, Bauchi High Court No 4 has again adjourned the case against Abubakar over the N4bn loan for hearing to 24th February, 2016.
Counsel to Darazo, Barrister Umaru Sarki told newsmen that the defence counsel had applied for preliminary objection that the court lacks the competency to entertain the case against the governor shortly after the case was mentioned for hearing. Darazo had accused the 7th assembly of purportedly signing a document of approving the loan to Abubakar after collecting money according to the document which he made available to newsmen.