By Kabir Dalha Kabir
This write-up is a response to the article written by Abbati Bako, who, according to what he wrote, was a former Special Advisor to the former Governor of Kano State Dr. A. U. Ganduje on public relations. His article, with the above heading, appeared to be an attempt to justify the ruling of the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal that heard the petition of APC on the gubernatorial election that returned His Excellency Engr. Abba Kabir Yusuf as the elected governor of Kano State.
Ordinarily, the write up deserves no response considering the its quality and misrepresentation of facts. In fact the writer only succeeded in displaying crass understanding of concepts and lack of any knowledge of democracy and its processes.
The writer, weirdly, wrote “Even in advanced Democracies like that of Northern parts of the world….” In the lexicon of world politics there is nothing like “Northern part of the world” what is known is “Western world” He also wrote “…fight Judicial Arm of Government….: This is also alien to students of government or political science. There are “branches of government” and not “arms of government”. Judiciary is a branch of government, in democracy, and not an “arm” To show complete lack of knowledge and history of world politics he wrote “Former (late) President of America George Washington popularize the saying that “Democracy is a game of the people, by the people and for the people.” I am reading this statement for the very first time in my life! The statement that comes close to that is, “Democracy is a government of the people, by the people and for the people” which was from the 16th President of the United States of America, Abraham Lincoln and not George Washington, the first President of the United State of America.
I decided to respond to the article not to answer the writer’s question, but to correct his misrepresentations, even as there is total disconnect between the heading and the body of the article. Although I am a member of NNPP, I feel duty bound to correct misrepresentations and ignorant rantings first as a social duty and point out an attempt to justify an injustice.
If I were to answer the question asked in the heading, the answer would be a categorical No! That a party would fight a judicial system with anything, other than facts and evidences, and win the fight should not be even a thought that would come to any sane mind. But if the writer is referring to NNPP (as can be assumed from the heading) as a party that is fighting Nigerian Judiciary, then I will say NNPP has never fought and is not fighting the Judicial Branch of government. NNPP is fighting for justice and to defend the mandate that the good people of Kano State gave it at the polls. But if, in the thinking of Abbati and his ilks, that is derogatory then the burden of proof lies in them.
What I believe the writer was referring to was what transpired in Kano prior to gubernatorial election tribunal judgment (remember NNPP won Kano state Governor’s seat with more than one million votes and it is the only State won by the party), where some party members voiced some very harsh words including some official of the government. But to this effect, the whole world is witness to the prompt action taken by the state government of HE Abba Kabir Yusuf by sacking its officials that made those unacceptable statements against the Judges of the Tribunal. This is on record! It was widely acknowledged and commended by many respectable Nigerians and beyond. So for anybody to now say, NNPP as a party, is fighting the judiciary is either being mischievous or only attempting to distort facts.
The government of Kano State and NNPP went ahead to affirm their firm belief in the Judges as impartial umpires. When the judgment was passed, the government and the party still affirm their belief in the judiciary and are both hopeful that justice will prevail at the appellate court and beyond.
So NNPP as a national party believed in and recognized all the three branches of government, namely: the executive, the legislative and the judicial branches as separate entities that work together for a better Nigeria. This is sacrosanct. Anyone that put it otherwise, we believe is just being either mischievous or is misjudging the situation.
For the Kano tribunal judgment, the world is still making analysis of the clearly lopsided election tribunal decision and so far is adjudged to be the most talked about tribunal judgment in the country. For now the ball of justice has moved to appellate courts as the court of public opinion has passed its verdict on 18th March, 2023.
For Kanawa, the judgment of 20th September, 2023 has not killed their belief in their choice at the polls. They have clearly shown who they voted for as their Governor and the Governor is proving his worth and reaffirming the confidence reposed in him by the Kano people.
May Almighty Allah help My City, My State, the Kano state.
May the State and the government prosper.
May He do it to His Excellency Abba Kabir Yusuf and his government.
May He help our country Nigeria, Amin
Kabir Dalha Kabir wrote from Kano
