By Saminu Ibrahim
The National Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr. Abdullahi Sani Shinkafi has urged former governor Abdulazeez Yari to go to Anti graft agencies and defend himself of alleged diversion of Zamfara state funds.
Shinkafi was reacting to insinuation by a former Attorney General of the state, Honourable Sani Takori who spoke for Yari in a petition filed at the nation’s Anti graft agencies.
It would be recalled that a group, Patriots for the Advancement Of Peace and Social Development (PAPS) urged the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to arrest, investigate and prosecute the former Governor Of Zamfara State Abdulazeez Yari over alleged misappropriation and misapplication of over N900billion belonging to the state during the eight years he held sway as the Zamfara State Governor.
The group in a petition addressed to the EFCC, the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) and the Nigerian Intelligence Financial Unit (NFIU) vowed to go to court to obtain an order of mandamus compelling the anti-graft agencies to investigate the former Governor in line with the laws setting them up.
Shinkafi in a chat with SINL Nigeria berated Takori over his comments and wondered when he became the image maker of former governor Yari, “To put the record straight and lies levelled against me, I have never said Bello Matawalle forged certificate.
“I have said it categorically that he went to vocational training center, Bunza in Kebbi state, which is not WAEC or SSCE, but it is equivalent to Senior Secondary School Certificate”..
Shinkafi, recalled his long standing relationship of over 20 years with Takori, saying he would not want to join issues with him, but urged him to allow the former Governor to defend what he described as misappropriation of the state fund when he held sway for eight years.
He said “Let Yari defend himself, but not by proxy, who is not a member of his party.
“Zamfara state is backward because of bad governance, deception and conspiracy of silence during Yari’s administration” Shinkafi alleged.