March 11, 2010
I wish to respond to the sworn affidavit deposited at High Court of Justice Abuja by Senator Dahiru Tambuwal that was published in the Daily Trust of Friday, 12 March 2010. The publication is unbecoming of a person of his status, a distinguished senator, who we are proud of in view of his leadership qualities and credentials.
I wish to respond to the sworn affidavit deposited at High Court of Justice Abuja by Senator Dahiru Tambuwal that was published in the Daily Trust of Friday, 12 March 2010. The publication is unbecoming of a person of his status, a distinguished senator, who we are proud of in view of his leadership qualities and credentials.
Hitherto, Tambuwal was undoubtedly one of the acknowledged lawyers in the Sokoto axis. Hence, we his supporters and well wishers were taken aback when we read the contents of the affidavit he has sworn in support of the petition against the Judges handling the Sokoto governorship election case.
Our worry on the affidavit and making it public lies in making high profile matters open; matters that he should have by now been matured enough to keep to himself as a statesman. To make public what transpired between himself, Justice Ayo Salami, Barrister Yahaya Mahmood, Bola Tinubu on matters of friendship and personal routine discussion on the appointment of President of the Court of Appeal is unbecoming. Prior to his becoming a senator and chairman of judiciary committee, was he privileged to be part of that high national political discourse?
As chairman Senate committee on judiciary, Tambuwal should have been familiar with official and personal dealings, negotiations and bargaining at constituency, state and national levels, coming from all directions: family, friends and associates, which in one way or the other seek to influence his law making schedule at the national assembly. More often than not, there are countless experiences that person of his caliber can not make public due their sensibility.
Unfortunately, the distinguished senator has not developed formidable absorbers to resist the shocks of his duty. With that publication, who one else would engage Tambuwal in personal discussion when it is certain that it would be made public the next day.
We are not concerned with the politics involved, if any, in the appointment of the president of the Court of Appeal. Our worry lies in Tambuwal’s confessing statement to the effect that inspite of the alleged role he played in such an appointment, the person is now not ready to pay back by way of determining the Sokoto case as Tambuwal wants him to do so. Thus, while the publication reveals the kind of senator representing us at the national assembly is, it also clearly shows that the Judges handling the Sokoto case are vent on handling the matter professionally without compromising their integrity.
Another lesson derivable from the affidavit is that the likes of Tambuwal have all along this period been influencing the previous judgements involving election petitions, since not all judges could resist this kind of pressure and blackmail. What we are now being told by Tambuwal is that the Judges of Sokoto Appeal Court have vehemently refused to be tele-guided in carrying out their professional duty by Tambuwal and Co.
It’s sad, our senator, now that the judges have refused to go your way and you resort to this kind of confrontation and blackmail on the pages of newspapers. Why didn’t the senator make the confrontation through friends and associates of the judges, as was the case in appointing the president of the Appeal Court? Or is it simply because the Court insists on doing the right thing, refusing to do your bidding that you resort to this cheap blackmail? What does senator Tambuwal stand to loose by the outcome of Sokoto legal case? Didn’t you deliver democracy dividends to our constituency enough to guaranty your second term in national assembly?
Finally, in view of the embracement the publication has caused us, it is high time Tambuwal embark on tour of his constituency to shade some light on the matter so as to cool rising temper amongst his party supporters and well wishers who are astonished by the affidavit and its shocking revelations.
Aisha Hassan Bodinga,
Department of Social Studies/Primary Education,
Shehu Shagari College of Education,
Sokoto
[email protected]
Hitherto, Tambuwal was undoubtedly one of the acknowledged lawyers in the Sokoto axis. Hence, we his supporters and well wishers were taken aback when we read the contents of the affidavit he has sworn in support of the petition against the Judges handling the Sokoto governorship election case.
Our worry on the affidavit and making it public lies in making high profile matters open; matters that he should have by now been matured enough to keep to himself as a statesman. To make public what transpired between himself, Justice Ayo Salami, Barrister Yahaya Mahmood, Bola Tinubu on matters of friendship and personal routine discussion on the appointment of President of the Court of Appeal is unbecoming. Prior to his becoming a senator and chairman of judiciary committee, was he privileged to be part of that high national political discourse?
As chairman Senate committee on judiciary, Tambuwal should have been familiar with official and personal dealings, negotiations and bargaining at constituency, state and national levels, coming from all directions: family, friends and associates, which in one way or the other seek to influence his law making schedule at the national assembly. More often than not, there are countless experiences that person of his caliber can not make public due their sensibility.
Unfortunately, the distinguished senator has not developed formidable absorbers to resist the shocks of his duty. With that publication, who one else would engage Tambuwal in personal discussion when it is certain that it would be made public the next day.
We are not concerned with the politics involved, if any, in the appointment of the president of the Court of Appeal. Our worry lies in Tambuwal’s confessing statement to the effect that inspite of the alleged role he played in such an appointment, the person is now not ready to pay back by way of determining the Sokoto case as Tambuwal wants him to do so. Thus, while the publication reveals the kind of senator representing us at the national assembly is, it also clearly shows that the Judges handling the Sokoto case are vent on handling the matter professionally without compromising their integrity.
Another lesson derivable from the affidavit is that the likes of Tambuwal have all along this period been influencing the previous judgements involving election petitions, since not all judges could resist this kind of pressure and blackmail. What we are now being told by Tambuwal is that the Judges of Sokoto Appeal Court have vehemently refused to be tele-guided in carrying out their professional duty by Tambuwal and Co.
It’s sad, our senator, now that the judges have refused to go your way and you resort to this kind of confrontation and blackmail on the pages of newspapers. Why didn’t the senator make the confrontation through friends and associates of the judges, as was the case in appointing the president of the Appeal Court? Or is it simply because the Court insists on doing the right thing, refusing to do your bidding that you resort to this cheap blackmail? What does senator Tambuwal stand to loose by the outcome of Sokoto legal case? Didn’t you deliver democracy dividends to our constituency enough to guaranty your second term in national assembly?
Finally, in view of the embracement the publication has caused us, it is high time Tambuwal embark on tour of his constituency to shade some light on the matter so as to cool rising temper amongst his party supporters and well wishers who are astonished by the affidavit and its shocking revelations.
Aisha Hassan Bodinga,
Department of Social Studies/Primary Education,
Shehu Shagari College of Education,
Sokoto
[email protected]
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('comments'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content1'); });
googletag.cmd.push(function() { googletag.display('content2'); });