A long audit finally reaches the table
A state-appointed judicial panel of inquiry has submitted its findings to the Sokoto State Government, alleging financial improprieties totalling ₦117 billion linked to the eight-year tenure of former governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.
The report, presented to the current administration, concludes months of hearings that examined budgetary allocations, contract awards, and expenditure patterns during Tambuwal’s time in office.
What the panel says went wrong
According to officials familiar with the report, the panel flagged alleged violations ranging from contract inflation and procurement breaches to unaccounted public funds across multiple ministries and agencies.
The panel reportedly recommended further investigation by statutory anti-corruption agencies, noting that its mandate was fact-finding rather than prosecution. It also advised the recovery of funds where losses to the state are established.
When oversight becomes a reckoning
Tambuwal, a former Speaker of the House of Representatives and two-term governor, has previously dismissed allegations against his administration as politically motivated, insisting that all expenditures during his tenure followed due process and legislative approval.
His allies argue that post-tenure probes by successor governments have become a pattern weaponised to discredit political opponents, particularly in states with intense intra-party rivalry.
Why the timing is under scrutiny
The submission of the report comes amid renewed political realignments in Sokoto State and beyond, with Tambuwal remaining an influential figure within national opposition politics.
Legal analysts note that while panels of inquiry are lawful instruments of accountability, their findings must survive judicial scrutiny if translated into criminal charges. Any deviation from due process, they warn, could collapse potential cases before they reach trial.
How accountability now moves forward
Officials say the Sokoto State Government will review the report before deciding whether to forward it to agencies such as the EFCC or ICPC for further action.
The state has not announced a timeline for its decision, but sources indicate that legal teams are assessing the evidentiary threshold required to sustain prosecutions arising from the panel’s conclusions.
What this report could ultimately decide
If acted upon with transparency and legal rigour, the panel’s findings could strengthen the culture of post-office accountability. If mishandled, it risks reinforcing perceptions that probes are political tools rather than instruments of justice.
Either outcome will shape how Nigerians judge the balance between governance oversight and political vendetta in the years ahead.
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