From Romanus Ugwu, Abuja
The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Kano State chapter, Abdullahi Abbas, has issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Ministry of Justice, Hon Haruna Isa Dederi, to retract his allegation of corruption against judges and justices that handled the litigated Kano governorship election.
He described the corruption allegation against the judges and justices as injurious, malicious and false in the petition he copied to both the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, state branch chairman of the association and made available to newsmen in Abuja on Sunday.
The party’s state chairman warned that if he fails to back up his allegations that the judges and justices were influenced to give judgment, he will not hesitate to file petition against him at the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee as well as institute an action for defamation against him in court without further recourse to him.
He chronicled the infractions the Attorney General has committed since the judgments, emphasising that; “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 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,” he demanded.
Threatening legal action, the state chairman of the party, cautioned that: “but if you have no proof of the serious allegation, you made, I demand that you publicly apologise 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,” he warned.