ALL Progressives Congress (APC) governors have shied away from taking a leaf from President Muhammadu Buhari's book and declaring their assets adding that there is no constitutional provision which obliges them to do so.
Last week, President Buhari and vice president Professor Yemi Osinbajo publicly declared their assets as part of their ongoing campaign against corruption and in a bid to bring about transparency in government. It was expected that several APC governors would follow suit but so far, only Governor Mohammed Abubakar of Jigawa State and his deputy, Ibrahim Hadeja have done so.
According to the governors, they would not go beyond the constitutional requirement imposed on them, which requires that they declare assets to the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB). Governor Abiola Ajimobi of Oyo State for instance, affirmed that he would not do it, saying that having done so in 2011, it was not necessary for him to declare his assets again, urging those interested in knowing his worth to use the Freedom of Information Act to access details.
Gbade Ojo, the governor's spokesman said: “Declaration of assets is a constitutional matter that all civil servants must do. The Code of Conduct Act makes it mandatory for all civil servants to do so but the act does not make it compulsory that it is done publicly.
“In 2011, when Governor Abiola Ajimobi was sworn-in as the governor of the state, he declared his assets and since he is a re-elected governor, he doesn’t have to do it again. The media can go through the Code of Conduct Bureau to access it.
Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State, who is also the chairman of the APC Governors Forum, may declare his assets too. His chief press secretary Sam Onwuemeodo said he will need to confer with his boss, however, before being able to confirm if the governor will do it or not.
Mr Onwuemeodo added: “I will need to confer with the governor before making a categorical statement on the issue. I am not aware that any state governor has so far declared his assets openly and moreover, I do not know of any law of this land, which insists that governors must openly declare their assets.”
Governor Simon Lalong of Plateau State's spokesman Emmanuel Nanle, said: “The governor has already declared his assets to the relevant authority, it is his decision to either make it public or not. It is not part of the law to make public your assets, it is a personal decision.
The governor did not make mention of his intention but I will find out if he intends to do that as he is particular about bringing the needed change to the people of Plateau. The governor has that personal decision to make but if he decides not to do so, he has not gone against any law of the land.”
Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara State and his deputy, Elder Peter Kisira are equally not disposed to declaring their assets as they said they would not proceed beyond the constitutional step of submitting the declarations to the CCB. Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State is already in court on the issue arising from an alleged libel case.
However, his political rival, Senator Shehu Sani, representing Kaduna Central Senatorial District, has followed the president’s example by declaring a cash balance of N22m, five residential houses and six vehicles among others. Governors belonging to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), were equally defiant in their determination not to follow the example set by the president.
Governors Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State said they have followed the laid down regulations on the issue. It is not expected that any of them will go public with their assets having fulfilled the constitutional obligation to submit their details to the CCB.
