A pressure group, Stand Up Nigeria has urged the National Judicial Council (NJC) to, as a matter of urgency, relocate Appeal court justices from Kano to Abuja over alleged threat and intimidation from the supporters of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP)-led government in the state.
The National coordinator of the group, Sunday Attah made the call while addressing a press conference on Saturday in Abuja
The group recalled that the Kano State Governorship election sacked Engr Abba Kabir Yusuf and declared Dr. Nasir Gawuna as the duly elected Governor of Kano State.
It, therefore, called on NNPP and the Kano state government to openly retract violent threats being issued by its supporters including a Commissioner under Governor Abba Yusuf against the Appeal court judges.
Attah lamented that the intimidation and threat being mounted are targeted towards the Appeal Court judges in order to bully them.
He said: “In view of the aforementioned, we condemn the leadership of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) who have being threatening the judges and general peace of Kano State using its supporters, to understand that, trying to intimidate the judiciary in order to force the Judges to their side would amount to miscarriage of justice as the Law is blind with a sharp sword.
“You don’t have to intimidate the judiciary or cause war because you lose an election. The tenure is four years after which a fresh election would be conducted. You may prepare yourself to contest again instead of sponsoring people to blackmail highly respected Justices of the election petition tribunal and intimidate the Appeal Court Judges all in a bid to reverse a sound judgement already delivered.”
The group stressed that the Judges must be encouraged and supported by all Nigerians as they deliver more critical judgements that would strengthen our democracy.
Attah added: “We must understand that our justices are not spirit. They don’t have bulletproof heads or bulletproof chests and at any time they are threatened, it is the responsibility of the Nigerian government to protect them. If there is a threat to their lives in any state of the federation, our call is to the NJC to quickly relocate them to a conducive environment where they would dispense justice without fear or favour.
“Any state that is toxic and threatening the justices, the NJC should relocate them to Abuja. There is no law that says the judgement must be delivered in the state.”