LAGOS/Nigeria: The Human and Environmental Development Agenda Resource Centre has petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, seeking an investigation into public comments made by former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, concerning alleged visits to Supreme Court Justices during the legal dispute arising from the 2019 Kano State governorship election.
In the petition signed by its Chairman, Olanrewaju, HEDA expressed concern over media reports quoting Senator Kwankwaso as claiming that he accompanied the then governorship candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party and now Governor of Kano State, Abba Kabir Yusuf, to meet Supreme Court Justices in their villages and towns while the election petition was pending before the apex court.
The organisation stated that while political actors are entitled to pursue their cases through constitutionally recognised legal channels, any suggestion of private engagement with judicial officers outside official court processes could erode public confidence in the independence and impartiality of the judiciary.
HEDA warned that the allegation, if left unclarified, could create damaging public perceptions about the integrity of the administration of justice, especially as the Supreme Court, in January 2020, eventually resolved the dispute and affirmed the outcome of the Kano governorship election.
Citing Section 36 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) and provisions of the Nigerian Judicial Code of Conduct, the group stressed that judicial officers are required to avoid not only actual impropriety but also the appearance of bias, in order to preserve public trust in the judicial system.
The anti-corruption organisation also drew attention to public denials by two former Supreme Court Justices who sat on the court at the time, Ejembi Eko and Musa Muhammad Datijo (rtd), both of whom reportedly denied ever meeting with Senator Kwankwaso or Governor Yusuf in relation to the case.
HEDA therefore urged the Chief Justice of Nigeria to institute an independent administrative inquiry into the claims, with a view to establishing, within the framework of judicial ethics, whether any such meetings occurred outside officially recognised judicial settings. It said such an inquiry would help dispel doubts, reinforce judicial accountability and strengthen public confidence in the justice system.
The group emphasised that its petition was not intended to challenge or question any judgment of the Supreme Court, but was driven by public interest and the need to safeguard the integrity, independence and credibility of Nigeria’s judiciary.
