Northern Groups Caution Tinubu against Interfering in Kano, Plateau, Zamfara Cases

Ahmad Sorondinki in Kano

Civil Society Organisations in the 19 northern states under the aegis of the Conference of Northern States Civil Society Networks have cautioned President Bola Tinubu against interfering in the election cases in Kano, Zamfara, and Plateau States.

At a press conference held in Kano over the weekend, the Chairman of the group, Ibrahim Waiya, cautioned President Tinubu against interfering in the cases before the Supreme Court.

According to Waiya, any attempt to manipulate the Supreme Court judgment could truncate the Nigerian democracy, an offense that he said: “Would never be forgiven by the entire democratic communities around the world.”

He also advised the Nigerian Judicial Council (NJC) to “adhere to the latter ethics and practice of their profession, following the law, as the custodian of justice and rule of rule.”

Waiya stated that the press conference “expressed deep concern about the current state of the judiciary in Nigeria.” 

And any attempt to manipulate the court may lead to chaos, insecurity, and conflicts across the country.

“The conflicting judgments being issued by various courts of the same jurisdiction have created a sense of confusion and frustration among the citizens. Unfortunately, this has led to a loss of trust and confidence in the judiciary.

“The integrity and effectiveness of our legal system are essential for maintaining public trust and upholding the rule of law.

“We believe that the Judicial Service Commission has the responsibility and authority to make the necessary reforms to restore faith in the judiciary.”

The chairman noted that Tinubu’s government is performing far below expectations in terms of security in the country, especially in the northern region.

He noted that with the appointment of the new service chiefs in the country, and huge investment in the security sector, citizens expect that by now, the security of lives and property should have been brought to the barest minimum level.

 However, Waiya stated that:  “The continuous killings of people, child trafficking, banditry, displacement of communities, kidnappings, across the country, especially in some states in the North, such as Katsina, Plateau, Sokoto, Niger, Kaduna and Zamfara States, and re-surfacing of the insurgency in the Northeast, is so unprecedented.

“The dimension at which the security of lives and property of the Nigerian citizens, which is fast declining, puts citizens into fear, hopelessness and uncertainties.

“However, President Tinubu must hold himself and the security agencies accountable for the ongoing insecurity in the country, and should develop key performance indicators (KPI) of not more than six months for the security agencies to be assessed for accountability.”