Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has vehemently rejected the notion that its operatives apprehended judges from the Kano governorship election petition tribunal, dismissing the claim as highly implausible.
The DSS’s response comes in direct contradiction to allegations put forth by the Kano State Government, which insinuated that one of the judges responsible for the ruling that invalidated Governor Abba Yusuf’s victory in the March 18, 2023 election had been taken into custody.
These accusations were made by Sanusi Bature, the Chief Press Secretary to the recently removed Kano Governor, following Governor Yusuf’s dismissal.
Bature contended that members of the Kano State Gubernatorial Election Petition Tribunal had faced undue pressure from security agencies, which allegedly influenced them to deliver a verdict unfavorable to his principal.
During an interview on Channels Television, Sanusi Bature stated, “The DSS apprehended one of the judges who delivered the judgment in Kano, and I find that to be a form of intimidation. Even in the case of this virtual judgment they issued, we are unaware of the origin of the judgment. It is possible that they issued the judgment under duress or for undisclosed reasons; I cannot say for certain.
We have no information about the location from which they issued the judgment, nor are we privy to the circumstances because our interaction with them was limited to a screen. Numerous undisclosed events unfolded behind the scenes, and to our astonishment, the individual declared as the winner was not even a party to the case. Gawuna participated in the election, acknowledged his defeat, congratulated Abba Kabir, and explicitly stated that he would not pursue legal action.”
