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MY PERCEPTION OF “JUDICIAL GAMBLE” IN ZAMFARA PDP LEGAL TUSSLE

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I remember asking Barr. Patrick E. (SAN) the lead counsel to Dr. Dauda Lawal Dare after he announced the closure of his defense at the premises of the Federal High Court Gusau that, didn’t he think his refusal to bring witnesses to prove his case and by extension relying on the depositions made by the plaintiffs witnesses may result to “JUDICIAL GAMBLING”? The learned Senior Advocate of Nigeria disagreed with me outrightly.

He told me that “his decision not to bring any witness in court as “defense” may not in any way result to “Judicial Gambling” saying, it is a usual practice for the defense lawyer to rely on depositions of the Plaintiff’s to prove his case, especially if the depositions are not carrying substantial weights.

Ibrahim Ali the counsel to the Plaintiffs, on the other hand, told me in clear voice that “if the depositions by the Plaintiffs witnesses were allowed by the Court, the defense will automatically lose his case.

Ibrahim Ali opined that “the decision not to bring any witness in defense of a case in court is the highest risk any lawyer can take”.

Even then, with my little knowledge and experience on judicial reporting and also the experience of covering pre-election as well as election petition cases since 2007, I knew it will be too suicidal for a lawyer to rely on the depositions of his opponents to prove a case especially pre-election or election petition cases.

At a point, I was mocked by political wailers to Dr. Dauda Lawal that the question on “political gambling” was deliberately framed by me and for reasons best known to me, but as God wishes the rationale behind the question has finally manifest.

Now the position of Barr. Ibrahim Ali was clearly affirmed by Justice Aminu Bappa led High Court Gusau and all the prayers of the plaintiffs were expressly allowed.

LESSONS LEARNED

Politicians should understand that, in as per as they prefer political solutions for an emerging political problem from they regard as “political actors”, there is strong need for them to listen to the opinions of the intellectuals and experts when they make their assertions and predictions.

It is too suicidal for a politician to ignore the opinion of experts and people with considerable experience in practical politics because their minority voice even though neutral usually count with speed at the end of the day.

The new political dimension of Nigerian politics required expert opinions as much as possible because political solutions without wisdom usually resulted to producing empty pot with nothing to bring home.

WATCH THE INTERVIEW VIA THIS LINK AGAIN

 

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SUPPORTING SEN. AKPABIO: YARIMAN BAKURA HAS DEMONSTRATED HIS UNENDING CONSPIRACY AGAINST THE NORTH

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The Chairman of the APC Defense Coalition, Dr. Suleiman Shuaibu Sarki Shanun Shinkafi had lambasted Sen. Ahmad Sani Yariman Bakura the former Governor of Zamfara state for allegedly backing Senator Gods will Akpabio’s candidature of becoming the Senate President of the 10th National Assembly.

He said the action of Senator Yarima is a clear demonstration of his unending conspiracy against the North and the people of Northern Nigeria by extension.

Sarkin Shanu in a statement issued in Abuja on Thursday insisted that it will be an act of conspiracy and mischief for the Zamfara former Governor, Ahmad Sani Yarima to back a southern candidate for the post of Senate President when he already has someone from Zamfara and a fellow Northerner who is buying for the same position.

He noted that the action of Senator Ahmad Yarima is a clear impression that he is an enemy of the North and the people of Northern Nigeria by extension, adding that Northerners need to be awakened and rise to the occasion before people like Yariman Bakura nail the region down for personal self enrichment.

“Yariman Bakura has demonstrated his strong and extreme disregard for the Northern Nigerian by supporting Sen. Godswill Akpabio as against the candidature of the former Governor of Zamfara Abdulaziz Yari Abubakar, and we are ready to fight him to finishing for working against the interest of the North”.

“The North West in particular has produces over 50% of the votes that produces Sen. Bola Ahmad Tinubu as the President during the 2023 election and now that our own from the region is contesting for the post of Senate President we have no option than to stand firmly behind him and enemies of the North like Yariman Bakura will fail woefully when the time comes”.

“Yariman Bakura has never hidden his personal enmity for the progress of Sen. Abdulaziz Yari and this can be demonstrated since what happened in the 2019 political race and now in the 2023 election when he worked openly against the success of the APC in Zamfara state” the statement added.

“It is shameful of Sen. Yarima to show his political solidarity to Godswill Akpabio in the open world and his action is a clear demonstration that he has declared war against the North and Northern Nigeria and by the special will of Allah Yarima he will be humiliated for working against the North” the statement added.

“We implore Sen. Yari to remain firm and focus and continue to mobilize strongly for his candidature for the Senate President, and we assure him he will emerge victorious looking at the dynamics of the way things are going, the APC zoning arrangement will surely fail”.

“For record, the President-elect is from the South, the Chief Justice of the federation who is the head of the judicial arm is also from the South, so there is no way the North will allow the seat of the Senate President who is the head of the legislative arm to shift to the South again”. The statement added.

He called on Senator Yarima to have the fear of God and leave Senator Yari alone, noting that God almighty has already made Yari the political hero of the current generation.

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YARI REMAINS MY CANDIDATE FOR THE OFFICE OF THE SENATE PRESIDENT: SEN. SEN. SUMAILA

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A Kano Senator-elect under the platform of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) Kawu Sumaila has declared to that APC zoning arrangement was an insult to the Nigerian parliament.

Sen. Kawu Sumaila who stated this on the National Television insisted that, former Governor of Zamfara and senator elect Abdulaziz Yari remain his candidate for the office of the Senate President of the 10th National Assembly.

He stated that, the National Assembly, as an independent arm of the government, should be free from the control of the executive.

“It is an insult for the APC to dictate to me where I will go in the choosing the presiding officers”.

He added that the majority of the lawmakers-elect were already discussing working against the zoning arrangements announced by the APC.

He urged Tinubu not to allow political sycophants to dictate the fortune of things for him.

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IMPOSIITION OF LEADERSHIP ON MEMBERS OF NATIONAL ASSEMBLY DANGEROUS TO NIGERIA’S DEMOCRACY: CISLAC

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The Executive Director Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Center Awal Musa Rafsanjani has described the APC zoning arrangements as announced as an attempt to pocket the 10th National Assembly.

Rafsanjani who stated this in an interview insisted that the culture of imposition of leadership on the national assembly has grave danger to the nation’s Democratic process.

Rafsanjani stated “some people endorsed by the party for leadership have corruption allegation against them, having them as presiding officers in the legislatures will neutralize anti-graft fights and will further erode the public image of the parliament.

“What the President-elect and the APC have done is to completely pocket the legislatures and make them not only rubber stamp parliament but also an extension of the presidency” .

While affirming that CISLAC supported equitable zoning of national assembly leadership seats , it condemned the imposition of individuals on the lawmakers.

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