Zamfara PDP, APC Clash Over Alleged Bribery Of Tribunal Judges

Posted by Samson Kankan Featured, Latest Headlines, News Across Nigeria Wednesday, August 30th, 2023

(AFRICAN EXAMINER) – The Zamfara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has raised concerns over bribery allegations of judges at the governorship election petitions tribunal sitting in Sokoto by a supporter of APC in the state.

The concern was raised by the acting Chairman of the party, Mouktar Lugga, while briefing journalists in Gusau, the state capital, on the alleged bribery.

He cited an audio clip circulating on social media posted by one Anas Anka, said to be an APC supporter, in which he claimed that the tribunal judges had been induced with money to write a judgement in favour of the APC.

Lugga argued that in the viral audio, Anka was heard telling his friends how he was contracted by a top APC stalwart in the state with N100 million to also bribe members of the state assembly to commence impeachment moves against Governor Dauda Lawal.

The PDP also called on the National Judicial Council (NJC) to launch a full-scale investigation on the allegation levelled against the panels of the governorship and state assembly election petitions tribunal.

The party appealed to the Department of State Services (DSS) to invite Anka for questioning over the weighty allegations, saying they were capable of causing chaos and disorder in the state.

Furthermore, it called on a former governor of the state, Senator Abdulaziz Yari, to as a matter of urgency, clear himself of the allegations levelled against him.

Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Zamfara State has in strong terms dismissed allegations of its involvement in a plan to bribe election petitions tribunal judges in the suit by the ruling PDP.

It also denied claims of an alleged move to mobilise members of the state House of Assembly to impeach the governor as contained in a leaked audio by one Anas Anka.

In a swift reaction made available to journalists in Gusau on Wednesday, the APC State Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris, said Anka was never a supporter nor a card-carrying member of the APC in the state.

The APC also called on all the relevant security agencies to uncover those behind the audio clip that went viral where Anka was allegedly explaining that he was directed to give a bribe to the judges of the election petitions tribunal to decide the judgement in favour of the party.