Allegations and counter-allegations on alleged interference and financial inducements of Justices of the Court of Appeal which affirmed the APC governorship candidate, Nasiru Gawuna, as duly elected governor of Kano State has taken a new dimension.
Chairman of the APC in the state, Abdullahi Abbas, has threatened to initiate defamation charges against the Kano State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Honourable Haruna Isa Dederi.
Abbas, in a letter dated November 23,2023 and addressed to the Kano State AGF, accused the latter of injurious, malicious and false statements against the judiciary.
The APC Chairman recalled remarks attributed to the Kano State Justice Commissioner on a Television Station, where he accused the Justices of the Court of Appeal of corruption and undue interferences from certain individuals in government.
While he claimed that the pronouncements of the Kano AGF not only embarrassed the Justices of the Court of Appeal but the APC Kano state chapter, Honourable Abbas challenged the former to come forward and mention the names of those who have hands in interfering with the judgment of the Kano Election Tribunal and the Court of Appeal judgements.
“This will go a long way in cleansing the society of corruption. It will also clear my name and be protected against unnecessary attacks your comment has subjected me to. But if you have no proof of the serious allegation you made, I demand that you publicly apologize to me and my party for the embarrassment you caused us.”
The Kano APC Chairman warned that he would be compelled to file a petition against Honourable Haruna Isa Dederi, at the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee as well as institute an action for defamation against him in court, if he failed to meet up his demands for public apology.
The letter reads in part: “On 23 November, 2023, you featured in Channels Television breakfast show, wherein you recklessly made damaging and serious allegation of corruption against the Judges of the Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal and the Justices of the Court of Appeal that heard and determined the appeal of Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf and New Nigeria Peoples Party filed in Appeal No CA/KN/EP/GOV/KAN/34/2023, Yusuf Abba Kabir v APC & 2 Ors.
“In the said interview, while commenting on the judgment of the Tribunal that sacked Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, you maliciously and falsely alleged that the decision of the Tribunal to deliver judgment via zoom was because of interference. Your alleged thus:
“I have information available to us was that the judges never wanted to deliver the judgment via zoom because there was serious interference..”
“From the above statement, it is clear for discerning mind to infer that you were suggesting influence on the judges by our party leaders, which you know is far from the truth. If you have cared to read the judgment of the Tribunal, the Tribunal clearly stated the reason why the judges had to leave Kano was as a result of threat to their lives by the officials of the Government you are serving as Attorney General which drew the condemnation of the Tribunal. His lordship Justice Anya stated, “I use this opportunity to condemn the gang of red cap wearers who, like violent and terrorist cult, chased us out of Kano and put us in the fear of our lives.”
“It is a public knowledge that the threat to lives of the judges of the Tribunal was publicly made by high ranking officials of the government you are serving and up to this moment, you have not commenced prosecution of the people that made the threat, yet, you carelessly made such damaging remarks against the judiciary.
“Not done, because you are angry the Court of Appeal has affirmed the judgment of the Tribunal which sacked your principal, you accused the Justices of the Court of Appeal of corruption wherein you said thus,
“…According to information available to us there was interference by forces that be. There are people who have interest in this country and can go to any extent to jeopardize things because of their political interest and that was what played in the judgment.
“This was not the judgment that was initially intended because there was interference and we will keep saying it because we have reason to believe that it was interference that cause the problem.”
“From the above statement, it can easily be inferred that you had a pre-knowledge of what the judgment of the Court of Appeal was, before it changes due to interference’ as you alleged. Our party and the general public will be interested to know how you came to know the content of the judgment of the court before it was delivered?
“You went on to say that the clerical error contained in the judgment released was the real intention of the justices of the Tribunal but the justices changed it due to interference. No gain saying that such a grievous allegation coming from the Chief Law Officer of Kano State, will mislead the public to the actual pronouncement of the Court and set the public against the judiciary in general and in particular the Justices that determined the Appeal in question. You went further to insist that the Court of Appeal in its judgment did indeed reverse the decision of the Tribunal
“As if that was not enough, you later made a voice recording as the Attorney General of Kano State countering the statement issued by the Court of Appeal Chief Registrar in respect of the clerical error in the judgment. In the said voice note, you made innuendos suggesting that the Justices of the Court of Appeal were indeed compromised.
“I can vividly recall that you were in court when the judgment was delivered and you heard clearly the decision of the Justice but to my surprise you went to the Television program as well made a voice note to mislead the public regarding the decision of the court all with the intent of impugning the judiciary.
“The most worrisome aspect is that in all the public speeches you made against the judiciary, you spoke as the Attorney General of Kano State. And the case before the Court is not a case involving the Kano State Government. This is therefore an abuse of your office because you are not Attorney General of NNPP but that of Kano State.
“Since your above statement, I have received countless phone calls and text messages from family, friends, colleagues and associates demanding explanation from me as to whether it was indeed true that my party influenced the judgment of the Court of Appeal and the Tribunal. I also received various threats including attempt to attack my house in Kano. Your careless words have created so much tension casting aspersion on my person by demeaning my reputation in the society.
“Consequent upon the above, I therefore demand that you come forward and mention the names of those who have hands in interfering with the judgment of the two courts. This will go a long way in cleansing the society of corruption. It will also clear my name and be protected against unnecessary attacks your comment has subjected me to. But if you have no proof of the serious allegation you made, I demand that you publicly apologize to me and my party for the embarrassment you caused us.
“As a lawyer, I need not remind you of the provision of your professional code with respect to courts and judges. Your allegation against the judges and justices is very grievous more so if it turn out to be false. I therefore by this letter, give you ultimatum of 48 hours to back your allegations against the Judges and Justices that they were influenced to give judgment contrary to the law as you claimed.
“Please note that if you fail to meet with my demands as stated above, I shall not hesitate to file petition against you at the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee as well as institute an action for defamation against you in court, and this we shall do without further recourse to you.
A stitch in time saves nine.”
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