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From Desmond Mgboh, Kano
Members of the North-West Civil Society on Anti Corruption and the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), yesterday, staged a peaceful protest in Kano State over alleged attempt to manipulate the state election petition tribunal.
The demonstrators, who ignored a police order banning street protest took off at 11.45 am from Kofar Nassarawa gate and proceeded to Government House, where they were received by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, his deputy, Aminu Abdulsalam and several top government functionaries.
The demonstrators carried placards that remarked derogatorily on the All Progressives Congress(APC) and its National Chairman, Umar Abdullahi Ganduje. Addressing the crowd, the convener, Kabiru Waiya, said they were concerned by the weight of allegation raised by the Chairman of the National Assembly and Kano State House of Assembly Elections Petition Tribunal, Justice Flora Azinge.
He said as citizens, it was their duty to call attention to the allegation in a bid to protect the nation’s democracy even as he stressed the need to investigate the allegation.
He subsequently presented a protest letter to Governor Abba for onward delivery to President Bola Tinubu in Abuja.
In the letter, the group decried the alleged attempt to induce the tribunal judges to manipulate the outcome of the elections petitions. It also urged the President to remain neutral on matters pertaining to activities of election tribunals across the country.
It warned that Kano was already politically tensed, and that any attempt to manipulate the outcome of the elections, may result in unprecedented crisis that may consume the whole country.
“We also wish to appeal to the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Nigerian Judicial Council, ICPC to launch a thorough investigation into these allegation with a view to ascertaining the truth and to subject any person found wanting to the music.”
Governor Abba pledged to personally deliver the letter to President Tinubu in Abuja and also expressed confidence in the ability of the tribunal to do justice to the petition before it.
Meanwhile, the Kano State Election Petition Tribunal has reserved judgment in a petition filed by the APC challenging the victory of Governor Yusuf.
The APC is challenging INEC for declaring the NNPP winner of the election.
Respondents in the petition are INEC, Yusuf and the NNPP.
The three-member panel led by Justice Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay, said the tribunal would communicate the date for the judgment after all parties had adopted their final written addresses.
