Govs Jittery As Judges Shun Bribes

Idowu Samuel, Abuja - 09.02.2008

Some state governors who have cases pending before the Election Petitions Tribunals are now troubled as attempts by some of them to bribe members of the tribunals and those who dragged them before the tribunals have failed.

Reports from across the states indicate that the most desperate among the governors had approached the tribunals with monetary offers. But so far, none of the judges has accepted the offer, findings have shown.

A governor in one of the South-West states, Saturday Tribune learnt, has been piling pressure on family members of one of the most influential judges at the tribunal in his state, with a mouth-watering offer.

The affected governor, it was learnt, became more jittery with the ability of his opponents to produce forensic evidence to back their cases.

Investigations also revealed that another governor in the South-West also offered to offset the campaign expenses of one of his opponents and has dragged all his godfathers in the state to plead with him to accept the offer.

The consistent pressure from the godfather has however prodded the opponent to travel abroad, leaving a directive that all matters about the petition be settled with his legal team.

According to investigations, the rejection of monetary inducements by judges at the tribunals prompted the governors to device the means of approaching their opponents, asking for truce and compromises meant to procure judgments in their favour.

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) told Saturday Tribune in Abuja that he knew that some hatchet men had approached one of his colleagues whose petition is pending before one of the tribunals in a South-East state with a huge sum of money meant to offset his expenses during the last governorship election.

The governor wants the petitioner to withdraw his petition. The petitioner reportedly described the tactics by the negotiators as laughable, stressing that he told them in return that he was capable of offering twice the sum put on the table to offset his campaign expenses.

Pressure was said to have been mounted on the petitioner on the basis of evidence he had before the tribunal.

Saturday Tribune learnt that some of the governors had taken further steps by approaching President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua, appealing to him for intervention in the cases before the tribunals.

They said if the PDP should lose more seats, it would add to the dwindling fortunes of the party. The Governor of Kebbi State, Alhaji Saidu Nasamu Dakingari, who had earlier been reported as seeking Yar’Adua’s intervention concerning his case at the tribunal, vehemently debunked the reports.

Dakingari stressed that he was not a person given to such political antics. He denied ever lobbying some judges at the tribunal ahead of the judgment by the Court of Appeal, stressing that he would not lobby to be favoured.

He said he was sure the judges would pass the correct judgment based on their wisdom that was not in doubt. Dakingari had proceeded to the Appeal Court in Kaduna, praying it to set aside the earlier judgment of the Election Tribunal in Kebbi State which nullified his victory.

The case, which came up for hearing mid January in Kaduna, was postponed till February 19, 2008 when counsel to the governor and those of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) pleaded for time to enable them perfect on their presentations.

The governor, in a statement signed by his Special Adviser, Media, Mallam Aminu Usman, made available to Saturday Tribune in Abuja, said he believed he had a strong case before the Appeal Court .

He said he, like Yar’Adua, believed in the rule of law, adding that the case before the Appeal Court required no extra efforts from him since it was being handled by competent counsel.

So far, the Election Petitions Tribunals have nullified the elections of six state governors, although all the governors had proceeded to the Appeal Court, praying them to set aside the earlier judgments by the tribunals.