Any Election Tribunal Judge Who Collects Bribe Should Choose Between His Life Or Money

Adamu Aliyu, Kano State Commissioner for Lands, has warned that the governorship election petition tribunal judges in the state who decided to collect bribes should choose between the money and their lives.

The commissioner issued the warning to the judges hearing the governorship election petition in the state on Thursday while speaking during a solidarity protest organised by the ruling New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP).

Addressing NNPP members, Aliyu said, “Any judge that allows himself to be used and collect bribes and pass judgment that is not right, we want to tell him; he must choose between his life and the bribe money he collected,” Channels TV reports.

The commissioner’s warning was said to have sent shockwaves through the state’s political landscape, as it has raised serious concerns about the impartiality and safety of the judges presiding over the election petition.

Recall that in August, Governor Abba Yusuf, received NNPP supporters protesting against the alleged bribery of judges at the election petitions tribunal, as Nasiru Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is challenging the election of Governor Yusuf.

Meanwhile, the tribunal has not announced a date for its judgment, but Aliyu’s remarks has taken a more ominous turn as he suggested that the consequences of an unfavourable judgment would be dire.

“You have seen the conflict (banditry) in Zamfara, Kaduna, and Katsina. I swear because of this governorship seat, everyone will die. The conflict that will start in Kano will be deadlier than the ones in those states and Borno,” he warned.

The threatening warning is said to have drawn strong criticism from various quarters, with calls for immediate action to ensure the safety of the judges and the integrity of the electoral process. The Secretary to the Kano State Government, Baffa Bichi, and other top officials were present at the event where these threats were made.

The issuance of death threats against tribunal judges, alongside allegations of bribery, has cast a shadow over the fairness and legality of the ongoing election dispute. It remains to be seen how authorities will respond to these disturbing developments, and what impact they will have on the tribunal’s proceedings.