5th December, 2023
By Maduabuchi Nmeribeh/Kano
A chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Kano, Dr. Illyasu Musa Kwankwaso, has advised politicians to stop castigating the judiciary over judgements on election matters, insisting that such actions are weakening the growth and enhancement of democracy in Nigeria.
Kwankwaso, who served as Commissioner for Community and Rural Development in former Governors Ibrahim Shekarau and Abdullahi Umar Ganduje’s administrations, respectively, insisted that the decisions and judgements of the judiciary should be respected as interpreters of the law and a major component of the system.
Though he agreed that the judiciary may not be a hundred per cent correct in their judgements, he insisted that men of the bar and the bench must not be put in disrepute, but politicians should follow through all the legal processes to get justice, destroying the image of the Nigerian judiciary before the eyes of the world.
Kwankwaso, who is cousin to the Grand Commander of the Kwankwasiyya Movement and National Leader of the New Nigerian People’s Party (NNPP), Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso, reiterated his confidence in the judiciary, even though he recently lost his bid to be at the Lower Chamber of the National Assembly, at the Appeal. Court, after winning at the Tribunal.
In a statement he signed and made available to journalists in Kano, Kwankwaso said, “For democracy to grow, enhance judiciary, do not castigate judiciary for loosing at the courts. Accept results and judgements in good faith. It would not be good for us politicians to see elections and political positions as a do-or-die affair.e
“It is normal in politics all over the world that whenever there is a competition, a winner and loser must emerge. This was a bit alien to us in Nigeria because in elections, after losing, we resort to blaming either the opponents, or we begin to cast aspersions on the judiciary, or the electoral umpire, blaming them for our failures.
“This kind of impression has to be changed. Take for instance, in the past, the APC had lost many elections, but the party had accepted the outcome of the elections and court judgements in good faith.
” I can recall when the Court removed the then Governor of Zamfara state and all the elected lawmakers and declared the Peoples Democratic Parry (PDP) as the winner of the election. It was an APC Governor, but the heavens did not fall. The APC accepted the court verdict in good faith. That is the beauty of democracy!”
He further stated that “while in 2019 as a ruling party, the court prevented APC from having a candidate in Rivers election. Most Nigerians saw that as a sound ruling. The judiciary was not corrupt and democracy was not in danger!
“APC as the ruling party won the governorship election in Bayelsa but was removed by the judiciary some hours before the swearing-in. To those people, the judgement was sound. Our judiciary was not corrupt and democracy was not in danger!
“Today, our courts are ‘corrupt’, democracy is in ‘danger’ and we are heading to one party system because the same court is addressing election cases dispassionately as it did in all the above cases cited! Once it is against APC like in the Osun case, our judiciary is doing a good job, not corrupt and democracy is not in danger!
“These same elements now want us to go learn democracy from Liberia that is not up to the population of Abia state because an incumbent lost an election?”
Kwankwaso who was speaking against the dusts raised and protests over the Kano gubernatorial election called on Nigerians,” to be very mindful of some ‘activists’ and their unpatriotic intentions as they are not objective in their analysis on issues.”
(Dr. Ilyasu Musa Kwankwaso)