By Ahmed Ilallah
The Hadejia/Auyo/Kafin-Hausa Coalition for Development (HAKCOD) in Jigawa State has faulted the decision of the Socio-Economic Rights and Accountability Project (SERAP) to institute legal action against the leadership of the National Assembly over what it described as “baseless allegations” against Hon. Usman Kamfani Auyo, the member representing Hadejia/Auyo/Kafin-Hausa Federal Constituency.
In a statement signed by its chairman, Comrade Abubakar Maje Ahmed, and made available to The Nation in Dutse, HAKCOD expressed deep concern over what it termed “recurring misinterpretations” of comments allegedly made by Hon. Usman Auyo and the subsequent decision by SERAP to act on such distortions.
According to the statement, the controversy dates back to August 2025, when some political opponents “mischievously misinterpreted” remarks made by Hon. Auyo during a media interaction falsely claiming that he said lawmakers were required to make payments before sponsoring a bill in the National Assembly.
“Hon. Usman never made such a claim and has since clarified his statement,” Comrade Abubakar said.
“He only explained that some legislators voluntarily spend up to ₦3 million on consultants to help draft bills or motions before presentation not as bribes or prerequisites for consideration in the chambers.”
He described the subsequent reports suggesting that legislators pay between ₦1 million and ₦3 million to present motions or bills as “deliberate political blackmail” aimed at tarnishing the lawmaker’s reputation.
The statement further argued that SERAP’s decision to base legal action on such misinterpretations was “an injustice” to the people of Hadejia, Auyo, and Kafin-Hausa a constituency with a long-standing history of political, economic, and social contributions to national development.
HAKCOD, therefore, urged SERAP and other concerned parties to “reconsider their stance” and approach the matter with fairness and objectivity in the interest of peace, justice, and political stability.
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