The All Progressives Congress (APC) have called on the state commissioner of Justice and Attorney General, Mr Haruna Isa Dederi to clean on the claim that it influenced the judgement of the Court of Appeal that unseated Governor Abba Yusuf.

The Chairman of the Kano chapter of the party, Abdullahi Abass claimed that Dederi’s utterances which is in the public domain has exposed the APC and its supporters to public ridicule and danger.

The party gave Dederi a 48 hours ultimatum to back his allegations against the Judges and Justices that they were influenced to give judgment contrary to the law with evidence.

The party in the letter dated November 23, 2023, copied to the President of the Nigerian Bar Association, and the Chairman Nigerian Bar Association, Kano Branch noted that in the event he fails to meet with the demands, it will be left with no option but to file petition against him at the Legal Practitioners Disciplinary Committee as well as institute an action for defamation to seek redress.

“Since your above statement, I have received countless phone calls and text messages from family, friends, colleagues and associates demanding explanation from me as to whether it was indeed true that my party influenced the judgment of the Court of Appeal and the Tribunal,” he said in a letter addressed to Dederi, made available to the Guardian in Abuja.

The letter reads Inter alia: “Our party and the general public will be interested to know how you came to know the content of the judgment of the court before it was delivered?

“You went on to say that the clerical error contained in the judgment released was the real intention of the justices of the Tribunal but the justices changed it due to interference. No gain saying that such grievous allegation coming from the Chief Law Officer of Kano State, will mislead the public to the actual pronouncement of the Court and set the public against the judiciary in general and in particular the Justices that determined the Appeal in question.

You went further to insist that the Court of Appeal in its judgment did indeed reverse the decision of the Tribunal

“As if that was not enough, you later made a voice recording as the Attorney General of Kano State countering the statement issued by the Court of Appeal Chief Registrar in respect of the clerical error in the judgment. In the said voice note, you made innuendos suggesting that the Justices of the Court of Appeal were indeed compromised.

“I can vividly recall that you were in court when the judgment was delivered and you heard clearly the decision of the Justice but to my surprise you went to the Television program as well made a voice note to mislead the public regarding the decision of the court all with the intent of impugning the judiciary.

“The most worrisome aspect is that in all the public speeches you made against the judiciary, you spoke as the Attorney General of Kano State. And the case before the Court is not a case involving Kano State Government. This is therefore an abuse of your office because you are not Attorney General of NNPP but that of Kano State.”

Continuing, Abbas noted: “I also received various threats including attempt to attack my house in Kano. Your careless words have created so much tension casting aspersion on my person by demeaning my reputation in the society.

“Consequent upon the above, I therefore demand that you come forward and mention the names of those who have hands in interfering with the judgment of the two courts.

“This will go a long way in cleansing the society of corruption. It will also clear my name and be protected against unnecessary attacks your comment has subjected me to.

“But if you have no proof of the serious allegation, you made, I demand that you publicly apologize to me and my party for the embarrassment you caused us.

“As a lawyer, I need not remind you of the provision of your professional code with respect to courts and judges. Your allegation against the judges and justices is very grievous more so if it turn out to be false. (The Guardian)