A civil society organisation, Anti- Corruption and Transparency Initiative Network has called on the Director of State Security Service, Yusuf Bichi to look into the allegation of corruption leveled against the Zamfara state Election Petition Tribunal members.
Convener of the initiative, Engineer Bala Abdulkadir Usuma, in a statement made available to journalists in Abuja, called on the Directorate of the service to ensure that the allegation is looked into and perpetrators brought to book.
According to the group, a move by a former governor of the state, who is also a senator had been uncovered to influence the judgement of the tribunal with about N500million.
Three Senatorial candidates, four House of Representatives and 13 House of Assembly members in Zamfara state were returned unopposed by the All Progressives Congress, APC, at the primaries in the state before the February and March 2019 general elections.
They approached the tribunal sitting in Abuja, to look into the case and make an order declaring their own primaries valid since they were not caught up in the controversial primaries that sacked other candidates.
”The initiative is calling on the Director of the DSS not to see this ugly development as mere allegation but painstaikingly conduct a thorough investigation into the allegation and possibly prosecute anybody indicted, no matter how highly placed he is.
”We cannot continue to allow our justice system be corrupted by corrupt and desperate politicians, who will stop at nothing to get what they want.
”This should not be seen as another mere allegation which will not be investigated. The eyes of the international community is on the country and our free and fair justice system will go a long way in determining whether or not the country will be an investment destination for them”. It may be recalled that the two Courts of equal status gave contradicting judgements against the Zamfara APC, which led to the Supreme Court ruling that denied Zamfara state people the right to have the leaders they elected which is contrary to the provision of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
