The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano State has issued a stern warning to the state government, advising against engaging in tactics to smear the reputation of the Chairman of the National and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, Flora Ngozi Azinge.
It can be recalled that Mrs. Azinge recently made allegations that a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) had attempted to bribe her with the aim of skewing the tribunal’s judgment.
The state government, in response, has alleged that influential figures within the APC were connected to the bribe offer.
However, Muhammad Garba, the Chief of Staff to the APC National Chairman, released a statement on Thursday accusing the Kano State government of tarnishing the reputation of the tribunal’s chairman.
Mr. Garba further accused the state government of showing disrespect towards the judiciary and taking the judge’s words out of context.
According to Mr. Garba, although Mrs. Azinge did disclose the alleged bribery, she did not specifically mention any party involved.
Mr. Garba stated, “The Kano State government is also attempting to preempt the unveiling of the actual bribe-giver by the tribunal, and therefore, wants to defame the judge.”
While criticizing the statement issued by the Commissioner of Information, Mr. Garba alleged that the state government was trying to vilify the tribunal before the judgment was delivered.
The former commissioner added, “Even though the APC appears to have the upper hand, we have not and will never offer any bribe to anyone connected to this case. We have presented concrete evidence to substantiate our claims before the tribunal.”
Reiterating its commitment to seeking legal recourse in the matter, the APC expressed confidence in reclaiming its “stolen mandate.”
