The Kano state government has expressed concern over an allegation made by the Chairperson of Kano National and State Houses of Assembly Petition Tribunal, Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge, that there was an attempt to bribe a member of the tribunal with money to sway justice.
Justice Azinge who is the Chairperson of Panel 2 of the Election Petition Tribunal, sitting in Kano, on Tuesday raised the alarm that some lawyers were attempting to bribe judges in her team.
According to her, this was the second time a judge was complaining about how some lawyers prosecuting election matters before her tried to corrupt the system by offering bribes to her and her colleagues.
Reacting to this allegation, Baba Halilu Dantiye, Commissioner for Information, Kano State, in a press statement issued on Wednesday and made available to the Next Edition expressed concern saying “there is a strong rumour going round that some strong forces within the APC whose eyes are on Kano Election Petition Tribunals are bent on repeating what they did in 2019.”
Dantiye said such “strong forces” were bent on using “whatever means to sway justice as was done previously.”
He, however, commended the Chairperson of the tribunal saying her action was “a positive testimony that there is still hope in the Nigerian judiciary and there are Judges and Justices with high sense of integrity abound in our country.”
The statement read: “The attention of Kano state government has been drawn to an allegation made by the chairman of Kano National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal Hon. Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge that there was an attempt to bribe a member of the tribunal with money in order to sway Justice in favour of his client as according to her, “money has been flying in the Tribunal.”
“The Kano state government views the incidence with a great concern as there is a strong rumour going round that some strong forces within the APC whose eyes are on Kano Election Petition Tribunals are bent on repeating what they did in 2019. They are all out to use whatever means to sway justice as was done previously.
“It is an open secret that these strong forces who are well-known for their corrupt attitude are working tirelessly to scuttle the hard earned mandate of the people of Kano state.
“No doubt, all eyes are looking at the direction of the former Kano state governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje whose accession to the APC national chairmanship was opposed by senior and founding members of the party and indeed majority of Nigerians because of various allegations cases of corruption.” He certainly feels emboldened by what is generally perceived as his unfortunate and undemocratic selection as APC chairman who is rumoured to be all out to influence the outcome of various Election Petition Tribunals in Kano in particular and other states in general.
“The state government views this as a litmus test for present administration to show Nigerians its commitment to fighting corruption and defending democratic principles by ensuring that this case is thoroughly investigated and the culprits prosecuted. The anti-corruption agencies are equally expected to swing into action especially when this type of allegation was made in open court by a respected Judge.
“However, the government views with delight the action of the Tribunal chairperson Hon. Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge as a positive testimony that there is still hope in the Nigerian judiciary and there are Judges and Justices with high sense of integrity abound in our country.
“The state government also thanks the good people of Kano that voted for the NNPP into power with well over one million votes at a time when it didn’t have federal, state, local government and financial resources.
“The government therefore notes and appreciates the readiness of Kano people to defend their mandate through whatever means possible.”
