The Kano Debacle; Between an Impenetrable Judge and A Stoic Establishment

By Abdullahi O. Haruna Haruspice

In the heart of Kano, a relentless judge finds himself at the epicenter of a mounting storm. Known for his unyielding commitment to justice and unwavering pursuit of truth, Justice Simon Amobeda has long stood as a formidable figure in Nigeria’s judiciary. From his earlier years in Kebbi, Calabar and Jalingo to his current tenure in Kano, his judgments have consistently resonated with an impenetrable conviction, impervious to political pressures and societal biases. Lawyers approach his courtroom with a mix of reverence and apprehension, acutely aware of his reputation for rendering verdicts that withstand the most vigorous appeals.

Justice Simon A. Amobeda’s recent rulings—particularly his bold annulment of the candidates’ list submitted by a faction of the party supervised and single-highhandedly picked by former presidential candidate, Sen. Rabiu Musa Kawankwaso without recourse to known process of primaries as contained in the party constitution is a talking point. In the judgement boldly delivered by Hon. Justice Amobeda, the Court restrained the Independent National Electoral Commission from releasing voters register to the Kano State Independent Electoral Commission for the conduct of the proposed local government election on October 26, 2024.

The court also declared as genuine and subsisting, the list of New Nigeria Peoples Party candidates submitted by the recognized State Chairman of the NNPP, Dalhatu Shehu Usman, whose list was rejected by KANSIEC in favour of that presented by Hashim Dungurawa faction. The Police and Department of Security Services were in the same judgement restrained by the Court from providing security or protection on the day of the election on Saturday, which of course they complied as Defendants in the case.

Politicians true to their nature, went ahead to conduct the Kano State Local Government Elections in disobedience to the Court’s judgment and facts gathered from the commercial state shows that the election was marred by allegations of fraud, which in turn has drawn a flood of scrutiny and criticism from political entities and public stakeholders alike.

The decisions of his lordship, Justice Amobeda, along with his landmark rulings addressing the pervasive drug crisis and the contentious demolitions within Kano, has positioned him as a figure both respected and resented. Through this exposé, we unravel the complexities of a man whose unflinching resolve has led him to clash with powerful forces, thereby raising pressing questions, to wit: Will this tireless crusader for justice endure the onslaught of orchestrated campaigns against him, or will he ultimately yield to the weight of public and political pressure?

Known for his fierce and uncompromising stance, the judge is in the eyes of an orchestrated state induced onslaught, he is being harangued and battered with stained media calumny – his offence was the judgement given on the just concluded Kano State Local Government Elections where he ordered the right thing to be done. Justice Amobeda is never far from controversies given his perilous daring ventures, where others fear to tread, he is seen always armoured ready.

In 2024, he delivered a landmark verdict that would forever remain a defining reference in the history of Kano state. The state was deeply enmeshed in a protracted drug concerns as incidences of substance abuses raided the state- families at the receiving end and youths going into dangerous abyss. Moved by this, the state government intervened and relocated the drug market to Dangwoura market along the Zaria Kano Road. Miffed by what the Nigeria Association of Patent & Proprietary Medicine Dealers at Abubakar Rimi Market Sabon Garri, considered a state affront and a dislocation of their legitimate business pursuits, they sued the state government. It was the verdict of Justice S. A. Amobeda that quelled the impasse and eventually led to the reduction of the choking drug crisis in Kano. Today, Kano is near free of drug and substance abuse- thanks to a judge who came to a daring judgment!

Similarly, it was Justice S. A. Amobeda who looked evidence in the eyes and presented a verdict in 2023 during the menacing demolition of structures by the government of Kano State. Brought down to rubbles and debris were business, residential and worship places, this action set the state on a volatile stead, with many people displaced and huge businesses affected; with nowhere to find succour, the affected populace found refuge in the court and sitting in judgement was the impenetrable arbiter. In delivering judgment, Justice S. A. Amobeda ruled against the state government and awarded a thirty-billion-naira compensation bond to the affected populace.

Akin to the Augean stable, he cleanses the judicial sector in Kano state with tireless and unbiased gusto, the prisons in the state breaths a decongested reality as people unjustly imprisoned for several years without trial are set free. To Justice Amobeda, the only sentiments that appealed to him are the established principles of law, as well as cogent and credible facts and materials, and on these he always hinges his judgments. He is obstinately blind to prejudices, biases and other primordial factors – a trait that always pitch him against the establishments like his current ordeal where media and civil society orchestrated onslaught are piled up against his person. Would this fierce, obstinate and fearless judge succumb to this packaged campaign of calumny against him? Only time shall tell.

The proverbial warthog stepped on the tiger’s tail recently following his judgment that sacked the entire management team of Kano State Independent Electoral Commission on the ground that they were card carrying members of a political party, the NNPP– an obvious abuse of the provisions of the Constitution of Nigeria, as well as the KANSIEC Law and the Electoral Act. This irked the establishment and in return, the ceaseless character demolition of the respected justice- going on media palaces -defaming, impugning and lampooning what was purely the stance of the law.

To sustain the diatribe, ‘ready for hire’ civil society organisations were placed on podium and cameras hired to beam their regurgitated scripts of infamy, insults and threats all aimed at tarnishing the sparkling reputation of the respected justice.

Legal indolence is the reason judges become victims of scorn, when lawyers hired to defend cases before judges display crass and inept outing, they fail as interpreters of law – to save faces, they resort to feeble narratives -drawing the watery instruments of blackmail, threats and falsehood.

The judge doesn’t manufacture facts, guided by the provisions of the law and the evidence in court, he rules on the vehicle of conscience. This is what is happening in Kano, the handlers of the party in dispute presented a bad case, instead of owning to their indolence and hollowness, they resort to smelly propaganda.

In the coming days, expect the barrage of castigating fireworks and deadly sponsored media attacks on the respected Justice. Fortunately, this will no doubt open more the underlying politics of oppression, coercion and intimidation in Kano where the law is expected to favour only the establishment.

However, the Law and its practice have remained one of the foundations of a civilized and progressive society. Law is the significant lifewire for maintaining societal equilibrium and social justice. Law is the foremost steward of Nigeria’s constitutional and political history as a corporate entity. The legal profession has remained at the vanguard of that history playing important roles at every junction without doubt. Law and its practice are therefore the indispensable drivers and levers of development in Nigeria and people must strive to protect it, no one man or establishment can rewrite what the law was created to be.

As Kano’s saga unfolds, it is clear that Justice Amobeda’s legacy transcends his courtroom. His stance highlights a crucial struggle: one of a judicial system striving to maintain its independence against societal and political currents. If the judiciary’s role as an impartial arbiter is to be preserved, society must rally to protect it, ensuring that no judge, no matter how fearless, is left vulnerable to the forces of intimidation and defamation.

Justice Amobeda’s journey is a reminder of the power of unwavering conviction in a world often swayed by fleeting interests, and a call for all to uphold the sanctity of justice—where the law, not influence, remains the final word.