Government condemns attempt to bribe election tribunal judge

Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge, the head of the Kano State Election Petition Tribunal, has issued a bribery alert, and the state government of Kano, Nigeria, is worried about it.

According to Azinge, an attempt was made to bribe a tribunal member with money in order to influence justice in favour of a lawyer’s client.

Before Tuesday’s court session even began in Kano, she publicly bemoaned the unethical behaviour of many senior lawyers.

State Commissioner of Information Malam Baba Halilu Dantiye issued a statement that read, “The attention of the Kano State Government has been drawn to an allegation made by the chairman of the Kano National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal, Hon. Justice Flora Ngozi Azinge, that there was an attempt to bribe a member of the tribunal with money to sway Justice as according to her,’money has been flying in the Tribunal.'”

It has been widely speculated, Dantiye said, that “strong forces who are well-known for their corrupt attitude are working tirelessly to scuttle the hard-earned mandate of the people of Kano State,” so this incident has caused the state government great concern.

He said the incident would serve as a “litmus test” for the federal government to prove to Nigerians that it is serious about combating corruption and defending democratic principles by conducting a thorough investigation and prosecuting those responsible.

He argued that the anti-corruption agencies have an equal responsibility to act when a judge makes a public allegation of corruption in open court.

According to the commissioner, the government was pleased by Justice Azinge’s actions because they showed that “there is still hope in the Nigerian judiciary” and that “Judges and Justices with high sense of integrity abound” in Nigeria.

Kano’s good citizens are thanked for electing the NNPP with more than a million votes despite the party’s lack of support from the federal, state, or local governments or adequate funding.

Dantiye continued, “the government recognises and appreciates the readiness of the Kano people to defend their mandate through whatever means possible.”