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From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Crisis is brewing in the Kano State Public Complaints and Anti-Corruption Commission (PCACC) following the appointment of Zaharaddeen Kofar Mata as acting chairman.
The appointment, which took immediate effect, was disclosed in an internal circular issued on Monday and signed by the Commission’s Chief Security Officer, L. Dauda.
According to the circular, the decision was in line with the Commission’s commitment to ensuring continuity in leadership and effective service delivery.
The appointment is pending further directive from Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, according to the circular, which urged directors and all principal officers to extend their cooperation to the acting chairman and remain committed to the mandate of the Commission.
However, in a dramatic twist, the appointment has been generating dust in some quarters in the state.
A group of lawyers under the aegis of the Forum of Kano indigenous lawyers, alongside some civic groups have condemned the appointment as wholly illegal, unconstitutional and without any grounding in the laws of the state.
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The petitioners, in a letter to Governor Yusuf, argued that the position of acting chairman is not a delegated gift from any officeholder within the Commission but an executive responsibility tied directly to the office of the Governor.
“Alhaji Dauda holds no public office recognised by law, which empowers him to make or announce appointments on behalf of the Kano State Government.
“He is neither a member of the Executive Council, nor a political appointee with statutory authority to act in such a manner.
“Any such attempt to assign leadership within such a sensitive institution not only undermines the rule of law, but also brings into disrepute the entire purpose of the anti-corruption framework established under Kano State law.
“Your Excellency, the credibility of the Commission and public confidence in your administration’s commitment to good governance depends on adherence to legal procedures.
“The anti-corruption body must remain a model of transparency and not be seen as a political extension of any individual or interest group,” they insisted
The group pleaded with the governor to immediately nullify any unlawful appointment made outside the constitutional chain of authority.
