NBA to drag Kwankwaso to police over alleged interference claims in 2019 elections

The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) has resolved that the Association formally petition the Nigeria Police Force and other relevant security agencies over public statements and claims suggesting interference with, or undue influence over, the judicial process, particularly those attributed to a former Governor of Kano State, Engr. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso.

SolaceBase reports that the resolution followed NEC deliberations arising from widespread public attention to comments reportedly made by Engr. Kwankwaso in which he claimed involvement in engagements with Justices of the Supreme Court during the 2019 Kano State governorship election proceedings.

The NBA NEC meeting holding in Maiduguri, Borno State, commences on Thursday.

NEC noted that such claims, whether made directly or by implication, are capable of undermining public confidence in the independence of the judiciary and the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral justice system.

NEC further resolved that the scope of the petition should not be limited to the claims attributed to Engr. Kwankwaso alone, but should extend to any other individual who has made statements, admissions, or public comments suggesting that they influenced, attempted to influence, or had improper access to judicial officers or judicial decision-making processes.

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In adopting the resolution, NEC emphasised that the petition is directed at the claims and assertions themselves, and not a presumption of guilt. The objective is to ensure that allegations of this gravity are subjected to thorough, impartial, and professional investigation. NEC noted that where such claims are false, they are dangerous and corrosive to constitutional democracy and must be firmly repudiated. Where they are true, accountability must follow in accordance with the law.

NEC therefore, mandated the National Executive Committee of the NBA to prepare and submit a formal petition to the Nigeria Police Force and other appropriate security agencies, requesting a comprehensive investigation into all such claims of judicial interference or influence, with a view to safeguarding judicial independence and restoring public confidence in the administration of justice.

The Nigerian Bar Association reaffirmed its unwavering commitment to the rule of law, the independence of the judiciary, and the principle that no person, regardless of status or political history, is entitled to make or propagate claims that cast doubt on the integrity of the courts without lawful scrutiny.

Recalls that Kwankwaso, the National leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement, had made the claims while expressing deep political disappointment over the defection of Kano State Governor, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the move as a painful betrayal.

Speaking to supporters at his residence in Kano in a viral video shared by his media aide, Saifullahi Hassan, Kwankwaso revisited the events surroundingthe 2019 Kano governorship election, which was declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, leading to a supplementary election and eventual litigation that culminated at the Supreme Court.

‘’Injustice. In my entire life, I cannot remember where such a thing has ever been done before, Kwankwaso said in Hausa.

Recalling the period, Kwankwaso disclosed:’’ I had forgotten that in 2019, I took him to the homes of all the Supreme Court justices in Nigeria to beg them . The governor and I met them in their villages and towns.

However, Kwankwaso did not mention the names of the specific justices he claimed he visited.