APC Urges Protests in Wake of Kano Tribunal Bribery Scandal, Citing Defense of Democracy

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano state has called on its members to come out in massive protest against alleged attempt to bribe members of the state governorship election petition tribunal.

Kano APC Public Relations Officer, Ahmad M. Aruwa, made the call in a statement obtained by our correspondent in reaction to similar call by the ruling New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP in the state.

Both parties have been throwing accusations against each other after the chairperson of the election tribunal alleged that some politicians were trying to bribe her.

Though the Judge said a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN was involved in the alleged bribery, she did not mention the party the top lawyer is representing in the tribunal.

But the NNPP immediately accused the APC of being responsible for the bribery attempt. The APC in turn alleged that the NNPP was behind the move to subvert democracy through bribery of members of the tribunal.

Yesterday APC noted that NNPP had called out its members to come out in protest over the alleged bribery of the tribunal members in response to similar move by the NNPP.

In the statement, APC told its members to: “Come out in defence of democracy and judiciary in the face of a planned demonstration by the ruling New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) over the yet to be decided petition at the National and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal.

The state Public Relation Officer of the party Muhammad Aruwa said the counter protest was necessary to stop what he described as attempt to intimidate the tribunal over a judgment that has not been delivered by the NNPP.

Aruwa said: ‘APC members have been fully mobile to counter any anti Democratic demonstrations by NNPP, stressing that the plan demonstration is a deliberate attempt to intimidate the Judiciary and ultimately truncate democracy, rule of law and independence of the judiciary .”

Malam Aruwa further stated that, “the state APC has confidence on the judiciary in carrying out its responsibilities and remind the NNPP that whatever is the outcome of the judgement, there is Appeal and Supreme Court.”

He, therefore, called on all the APC members to be at alert and await further instruction from the party.