In what could be termed an 11th hour decision, the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) cancelled their planned protests for and against the recent judgment of the Court of Appeal on the Kano State governorship election petition, which sacked Governor Abba Yusuf of the NNPP and declared APC’s Dr. Nasiru Gawuna as the winner.
The two rival political parties had issued strong notices to shut down business and commercial activities in the state yesterday with massive protests against and in favour of the judgment of the Appeal Court, triggering fears of a possible breakdown of law and order.
However, amid heavy deployment of armed security personnel across strategic locations in the city centre, residents went about their normal daily activities under a peaceful atmosphere.
Efforts to speak with the state Chairman of the NNPP, Hashimu Dungurawa, on why the protest was cancelled did not yield fruit, as he did not pick his calls or reply to text messages sent to him.
However, a prominent member of the party, who pleaded anonymity, told The Guardian that concerns over possible loss of lives and property, and other negative implications were part of the reasons the protest was put on hold.
On his part, state secretary of the APC, Zakari Sarina, said the decision to cancel the planned protest followed the decision of NNPP.
Sarina stressed that since APC was compelled to declare a counter protest against NNPP, there was no need to proceed with the action since the NNPP had cancelled theirs.
Meanwhile, the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Sanusi Bature Dawakin-Tofa, has refuted the allegation that the NNPP protests were being funded by the state government.
Sanusi told The Guardian that the state governor was neither aware of any planned protest nor funding the NNPP.
Recall that the police had last Friday revealed that an intelligence report indicated an orchestrated plot by some political elements to instigate violent rallies in the state.
It had also vowed to resist any attempt by political elements to foment trouble in the state in the name of protesting against and for the judgment of the Court of Appeal.
In a related development, a non-governmental organisation, the Advocacy Justice and Good Governance (AJGG), has warned a section of the political elite in Kano State against any act that could portray the judiciary in bad light.
Led by Mr. Francis Nzeoke, the group in a statement, yesterday, argued that the ongoing effort by aggrieved politicians to drag the name of the judiciary in the mud could undermine the rule of law in the country.
AJGG faulted the Kano state Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Haruna Isa Dederi, for accusing justices of the Appeal Court of corruption without justifiable reasons.
It challenged the commissioner to come forward and give the specifics on the actual corrupt judges he was referring to in his claim.
Dederi had last Wednesday appeared on a Channels Television programme, ‘Sunrise Daily’, where he made spurious allegations against the justices of the Appeal Court.
“We are calling on the authorities to question Dederi so that he provides evidence of all the allegations he made on Channels Television. If he cannot, he should be arrested and prosecuted.
“We are worried about the turn of events in recent times where politicians lose cases in the court and resort to dishing out threats on justices. It is a bad omen for our democracy and the rule of law,” he said.