The Kano chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has officially lodged a complaint with the Nigerian Bar Association’s disciplinary committee regarding corruption allegations made by the State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Haruna Isa Dederi, against the judiciary.
In the petition submitted on Sunday by Kano APC Chairman Abdullahi Abbas, the party accuses the commissioner of publicly asserting that justices of the Appeal Court are corrupt during a live television broadcast. The letter was addressed to NBA President Yakubu Maikyau and Kano chapter Chairman Sagir Gezawa, with a copy sent to Dederi.
This development transpired within a 24-hour period after a pro-democracy group urged the Nigerian Bar Association to intervene, urging disciplinary actions against any of its members found in violation.
Dederi had on Wednesday featured on Channels Television breakfast show ‘Sunrise Daily’ where he expressed disappointment with the manner the justices of Appeal Court handled the sack of Governor Abba Yusuf and how unreliable Nigeria’s judiciary has become in recent times.
But Abbas insisted in the petition that Dederi ‘maliciously’ argued that information available to him showed that the judges never wanted to deliver the judgment via zoom because ‘there was serious interference.’
He said, “It is clear for discerning mind to infer you were suggesting influence on the judges by our party leaders, which you know is far from the truth. If you have cared to read the judgment of the Tribunal, it clearly stated the reason why the judges had to leave Kano was as a result of threat to their lives by the officials of the Government you are serving as Attorney General which drew the condemnation of the Tribunal. Up to this moment, you have not commenced prosecution of the people that made the threat. Yet, you carelessly made such damaging remarks against the judiciary.
“I can vividly recall that you were in court when the judgment was delivered and you heard clearly the decision of the Justice but to my surprise you went to the television programme as well made a voice note to mislead the public regarding the decision of the court all with the intent of impugning the judiciary. 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.
“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. A stitch in time saves nine.”
