In a recent move, the Kano chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has filed a complaint with the Nigerian Bar Association’s disciplinary committee, regarding allegations of corruption within the judiciary.
The State Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Haruna Isa Dederi, is under scrutiny for accusing justices of the Appeal Court of corruption during a live television appearance.
According to Abdullahi Abbas, Kano APC Chairman, the party contends that Dederi, on a televised programme, suggested that the justices were corrupt and unwilling to deliver a judgment via zoom due to alleged interference.
The petition, addressed to NBA President Yakubu Maikyau and Kano chapter Chairman Sagir Gezawa, calls for an investigation into Dederi’s statements.
Quest Times also gathered that this development follows a pro-democracy group’s call for the NBA to take disciplinary action against Dederi.
The group therefore urged the association to address the commissioner’s remarks on the judiciary’s handling of Governor Abba Yusuf’s removal, emphasizing the need for accountability.
Dederi, appearing on Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ on Wednesday, expressed dissatisfaction with the Appeal Court’s handling of Governor Abba Yusuf’s case and criticized the overall reliability of Nigeria’s judiciary.
The APC, however, asserts that Dederi’s comments were malicious and aimed at impugning the judiciary.
Abbas, in the petition, reminded Dederi of the professional code of conduct for lawyers, emphasizing the seriousness of the allegations and the potential consequences if proven false.
“It is clear for discerning mind to infer you were suggesting influence on the judges by our party leaders, which you know is far from the truth. If you have cared to read the judgment of the Tribunal, it clearly stated the reason why the judges had to leave Kano was as a result of threat to their lives by the officials of the Government you are serving as Attorney General, which drew the condemnation of the Tribunal. Up to this moment, you have not commenced prosecution of the people that made the threat. Yet, you carelessly made such damaging remarks against the judiciary,” he said.
Conclusively, Dederi was accused of abusing his office as the Attorney General of Kano State by making statements about a case not involving the Kano State Government.