Governor Sule Lamido of Jigawa State and former minister in the Second Republic, Senator Bello Maitama Yusuf, are currently flexing muscles over ₦15 million campaign funds allegedly diverted by the latter.
Consequently, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which reportedly released the money to the Senator, is seeking to arrest him, with a view to recovering the money disbursed for purposes of electioneering.
It was alleged that he defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) after taking the money.
While Governor Lamido asked Senator Yusuf to refund the money or face arrest, the Senator dared the governor to arrest him.
Vanguard reports that Governor Lamido approved the release of ₦15 million to Yusuf for onward disbursement to the electorate in his Gwaram constituency during the Governorship, State Assembly and House of Representatives elections. Senator Yusuf, in a swift reaction, denied ever taking campaign funds from PDP for disbursement to electorate in his constituency, adding that his defection to the All Progressives Congress was the reason the story was concocted to malign him.
Yusuf said: “I am just a victim of circumstance; because I defected to APC.
“It is unbelievable. I do not have business with campaign funds. I spend my own money for the development of my people and the party.”
Publicity Secretary of PDP in Jigawa State, Alhaji Musa Abdullahi, confirmed that Senator Yusuf received campaign funds and that the party had reported the case to the State Police Command.
State Police Public Relations Officer, PPRO, ASP Abdu Jinjiri, confirmed that the command received a complaint from the state PDP in respect of the alleged campaign money.
He said investigation was ongoing, and that the command had sent its men to invite the senator for questioning.