Hon Yusuf Babangida Sulaiman
My attention is drawn to the recent happenings alluding to high level blackmail against the Judiciary due to misguided interests of some politicians in Kano State, particularly of Kwankwasiyya and NNPP extraction. It is worthy of our time and attention to guard the security and safety of our country, while also coveting the credibility of our judicial institutions.
However, we are pained by actions of numerous political novices across the state attempting to cause our fragile security improvements to evaporate, and engaging in direct maligning of our judiciary, just for the sake of their political interests.
There was an alarm raised by a member of a Kano NASS/SHA judicial panel regarding attempts by Counsels to financially induce judges to influence their pronouncements.
We have also noticed reactions of all parties to the allegations and blame has been apportioned multiple ways with accusations and counter accusations flying around. However, no party has committed to ensuring its self-perpetuation by way of bribery other than the NNPP.
Speaking through one of its institutional mouthpieces, Abdullahi Tanka Galadanchi, Senior Special Assistants on Radio to Gov. Abba Kabir Yusuf, the NNPP administration boasted that it will not foolishly fold its arms and await a verdict without ensuring that money plays a key role.
He added that Judges must be bribed, swearing on divine oath multiple times that they will not suffer to bring in a government and allow judges to use a pronouncement to send them packing, rather they will sit with the judges and agree a fee and use the state treasury to pay, referring to such misguided action as a patriotic duty to save Kano.
The comments of the Governor’s Broadcast Aide have confirmed the reason for the sensitive reactions that the Judge’s allegations have irked.
The group took the blackmail efforts further one notch by staging a walk attended by very few hundreds to seek justice from the Election Petition Tribunal, and while at it established claims that the Tribunal is unlikely to be fair in its judgment.
Given SSA’s comments, the Kwankwasiyya group is just being clever by half, speaking from both sides of their mouths and attempting to railroad everyone into accepting an outcome that is only in their favour.
As a smokescreen, the government may abruptly victimize Tanka by relieving him of his position, when all he did was wilfully express the thoughts and beliefs of his principal. It is clear that the Kwankwasiyya movement is playing a pattern of blackmail and threats on the Judges, similar to that which it played on INEC officials.
This was why a clearly inconclusive election was returned conclusive in March 2023, out of fear of their lives; the electoral officials with their offices surrounded by mobilized fanatics had to do the impromptu unfair declaration. As it stands today, the close to 11,000 public officials summarily removed from the state government payroll and their hundreds of thousands of dependents, as well as the hundreds of shop owners whose business premises have been demolished and their millions of dependents, all have their eyes glued to the judiciary as their last hope for justice to be served.
We, as citizens of Kano will not tolerate a posturing that seeks to undermine the security of our state and the avowed credibility of our judiciary. It is in the best interest of Kano state and in general political sportsmanship that credible outcomes are accepted.
The plot towards institutionalising blackmail and putting undue pressure on the Judiciary is unwelcome and shall be resisted by all lovers of democracy.
Finally, I humbly call on the leaders of our great party the APC, the stakeholders in Kano state, security agencies and all lovers of Kano to remain vigilant and outrightly reject the antics of blackmail and threats against the judiciary for fear of an imminent credible and fair judgement, which will trigger unprecedented celebration of triumph of prosperity, upliftment and peace, over illegitimate brigandage, confusion & destruction.
Hon Yusuf Babangida Sulaiman,Member, Kano State House of Assembly (2011-2023)Gwale Constituency
