Leadership (Abuja)
Ibrahim Modibbo
10 October 2008
The Action Congress (AC) has cautioned President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua and his political aides and associates against the propensity to predict the Supreme Court over the cases challenging his election, saying such dangerous political statements portend great danger for the judiciary in particular and democracy in general.
In a statement issued in Abuja yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said recent comments attributed to President Yar'Adua and Alhaji Abubakar Rimi, among others, that the ongoing case of General Mohammadu Buhari is weak and cannot succeed at the apex court, is a condescending portrayal of the apex court.
"It is either these people know something we don't know, or they have nothing but total disdain for the Supreme Court in particular and the judiciary in general," the party said.
"It is also dangerous for our democracy, when those who justifiably feel short- changed during elections can no longer have the confidence that they will get justice at the courts, either due to suspected political interference in the work of the courts or a growing cynicism among the citizens on whether the courts can dispense justice without fear or favour," it added.
The party said the Chief Justice of the Federation should repudiate the statements, if only to reassure Nigerians the statements attributed to these highly-placed Nigerians, who seem to know the Supreme Court more than itself, do not reflect the truth.
It also called on all stakeholders, including the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA), National Judicial Council (NJC), to condemn the development in very unambiguous terms.
"We are worried because we recall that similar claims made before the ruling of the Court of Appeal on the petitions by Gen. Buhari and our presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, against the presidential election have proved to be true," AC said.
The party said Yar'Adua's bravado and his 100 per cent assurance of victory - crudely conveyed by his spokesman - could only undermine the rule of law mantra of his administration and send a wrong signals to the citizenry.
"Already, people like Alhaji Abubakar Rimi seems to have latched on to the statement to attempt to ridicule Buhari's case, going by his recent comments in the media. That is the kind of bandwagon effect that we feared. This will continue, especially from those seeking to ingratiate themselves to the President, for as long as nothing is done to repudiate the comments," AC said.
It said the unfortunate statements, coming at a time of growing uncertainties about the direction of the courts on the various election petitions, have further reinforced the belief in certain circles that there was a clandestine attempt by the powers that be to pervert the course of justice.
However, the party reiterated its faith in the judiciary, despite efforts by those who should know better to cast aspersion on that critical tier of government.
Meanwhile, attempt by the former governor of Zamfara State, Senator Ahmed Sani Yariman Bakura and Governor Ali Modu Sheriff of Borno State to hijack the two ministerial slots given to the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) in the proposed shake up of ministers under the Yar'Adua government is causing serious ripples in the party.
LEADERSHIP can exclusively reveal that Yar'Adua, who according to a dependable source has expressed grave concern over the lackluster performance of the two present ministers of the ANPP, was said to have advised the leadership of the party to search for tested and trusted hands that could inject fresh ideas for consideration in his proposed cabinet reshuffle expected soon.
According to the source, which craves for anonymity, "The two present ministers, Hajiya Saudatu Bungudu of the Women Affairs and Alhaji Ibrahim Nakande Dasuki of the Information and Communication would be dropped for non-performance as reports indicate that they were not doing well to meet the challenges before the Yar'Adua Administration as well as not taking along the party in their states and respective zones," he said.
The National Chairman of the ANPP, Chief Edwin Ume-Ezeoke, who is believed to have whispered the President's message to select few party pointmen under the Government of National Unity (GNU), saw Senator Yarima Bakura capitalising on the mission to immediately forward the name of his wife, a medical doctor by training, Dr. Karima Bakura for consideration.
It could be recalled that when the initial deal of the GNU was sealed with Yarima as the arrowhead in the discussions with the PDP, Yarima hijacked one of the two ministerial slots and gave it to his father-in-law, Senator Mohammed Anka, but was rejected by Yar'Adua on the grounds of inexperience in bureaucracy and art of governance, which Bakura later gave his aunty, Hajiya Bungudu, a one-time commissioner in Zamfara State.
In a similar development, Governor Sheriff of Borno, whom the source said was interested in the second slot is preparing his immediate younger brother, Alhaji Mala Sheriff, a former Commissioner of Finance under the late Governor Mala Kachalla of Borno for possible consideration by Yar'Adua.
With palpable anxiety taking a centre stage among some prominent party stalwarts who expressed disgust with developments in the party, the source said, "The Chairman of ANPP, has already forwarded the two names submitted by Sheriff and Bakura with a covering letter to Yar'Adua for consent."
"ANPP is in utter helplessness as those who are supposed to protect the interest and corporate entity of the party are left in the cold as the two ministerial lists forwarded to the president did not go through the meeting of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party."
"ANPP has now become a private liability company with Yarima and Ume Ezeoke as two main shareholders that dictate who gets what, when, where and how in the scheme of things under the present set up called the GNU," he said.
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