Election Tribunal: Kano Commissioner issues death threat to judges, promises to unleash mayhem on residents

Kano State Commissioner of Lands, Adamu Aliyu, on Thursday, issued a death threat to the judges of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal.

Mr Aliyu also promised to unleash mayhem on residents of the state, one worse than what residents of neighbouring Kaduna and Zamfara are going through.

Residents of mainly rural communities in Kaduna and Zamfara are being attacked, killed and abducted by terror gangs locally called bandits.

These attacks have continued for more than a decade.

Suggesting that judges of the tribunal may have been bribed to rule against his party, Mr Aliyu said if the tribunal judges ruled against his party, the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the petition before it, they may pay with their lives.

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The election of the governor of the state, Abba Yusuf, is being challenged at the tribunal by the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nasiru Gawuna.

The tribunal is yet to fix a date to deliver its judgement on the petition.

Mr Aliyu made the statements, on Thursday, while addressing members of the NNPP during a solidarity protest of the party.

READ ALSO: PDP tackles APC, police over attack on members at tribunal

The gathering also doubled as a prayer session for an outcome favourable to the party at the election tribunal.

A video of the commissioner issuing the threat was later posted on Facebook by both NNPP and APC. members.

“I am sending this message to the tribunal judges, any judge that allows himself to be used and collect bribes and pass judgement that is not right, we want to tell him he must choose between his life and the bribe money he collected.

“We are promising you (our supporters), we are receiving your complaints, the votes you cast on his excellency (Governor Yusuf) will not go in vain unless we lose our lives or the Kano state will fall.

“Another message for the leaders. You have seen the conflict (banditry) in Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina, I swear because of this governorship seat, everyone will die. The conflict that will start in Kano will be more deadly than the ones in those states and Borno,” Mr Aliyu said.

The protests and the prayer sessions simultaneously took place at six locations – Katsina Road, Gwarzo Road, Madobi/Sharada Road, Zaria Road, Maiduguri Road, and Hadejia Road.

The event was attended by the Secretary to the Kano State Government, Baffa Bichi, a former deputy governor of the State, Hafiz Abubakar, top members of the state’s executive council and special advisers and assistants to the governor.

On 26 August, the state’s governor and his political godfather, Rabiu Kwankwaso, led a similar mass event for the success of their party at the election petition tribunal.

During the initial event, an Islamic cleric Sani Shir described those challenging the election of the state’s governor, at the tribunal as enemies of the state, and prayed for God to destroy them.

Ban on gatherings over tribunal judgement

The police in Kano State, on Monday, banned all forms of protests being planned by the members of the NNPP and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in preparation for the governorship election tribunal judgement in the state.

Tension is high in the state as members of the NNPP and APC await the outcome of the governorship election petition.

A few weeks ago, the tribunal accused an unnamed Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) of attempting to bribe her with N10 billion to temper with justice in the course of delivering judgment.

The police accused both the NNPP and APC of deliberate plans to foment trouble by sponsoring protests in the state.

The police commissioner in the state, Muhammad Gumel, in a statement, said the command had banned all forms of protest to prevent possible clashes and uprisings.

When reached for clarification on the statement Friday afternoon, Mr Aliyu confirmed that he made the statement and he stands by it.

“I made the statement. This is our stand because people have voted for us and in the last hundred days the government have performed and people have witnessed development.

“But we are not happy with the way things are going. If there is justice, there will be peace and we need nothing but justice. My statement was not targeted at the fair and just judges, but at the opposite ones and this is our stand,” Mr Aliyu told PREMIUM TIMES.