By Adesina Soyooye
The Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, has said it would petition the Nigeria Police Force and other security agencies over the claims by the Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, in the 2023 General Elections, Dr Rabiu Kwankwaso, that he visited the homes of Supreme Court Judges in 2019 with the Kano Governorship Candidate then, now the Governor, Kabir Yusuf.
Kwankwaso said he took Yusuf, whose election case was before the Supreme Court at the time to the homes of the Justices.
The NBA is citing concerns about the damage Kwankwaso’s claims could have on the Judiciary.
The National Executive Council (NEC), of the NBA, described Kwankwaso’s comment as “deeply troubling and capable of undermining public trust in the judiciary and the entire electoral justice system.”
In a statement posted on X (formerly Twitter) by the Secretary of the Young Lawyers’ Forum, Etaba Agbor, the NBA said that the NEC had in a unanimous decision agreed to submit a formal petition to the NPF and other security agencies seeking an investigation into Kwankwaso’s claims.
NBA: “The scope of this petition shall not be limited to Mr Kwankwaso alone. It will extend to any individual who has made statements or admissions indicating improper access to judicial officers or undue influence on judicial decisions.”
It explained that the petition should not be seen as a presumption of guilt but as a necessary step to defend the integrity of the legal system.
The statement said: “The objective is to ensure that allegations of this gravity are subjected to thorough, impartial, and professional investigation.
The statement continued: “False claims of judicial interference are dangerous and corrosive to constitutional democracy and must be firmly repudiated. And where such claims are found to be true, accountability must follow in accordance with the law.
“Only a robust, independent judiciary can guarantee democracy and uphold the rights of Nigerians.”
Kwankwaso made the damaging and embarrassing claims while addressing his loyalists after the Kano State Governor, after the defection of Governor Yusuf from the NNPP to the APC.
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