Kebbi Assembly speaks on non-confirmation of acting Chief Judge for ‘being Christian’

NEWS

Kebbi Assembly speaks on non-confirmation of acting Chief Judge for ‘being Christian’

 

Speaker of the Kebbi State House of Assembly, Abdulmumin Ismaila Kamba, has stated that lawmakers did not work against the confirmation of the Acting Chief Judge, Justice Asabe Karatu, for being a Christian.

Kamba explained that she was not confirmed due to alleged alterations in her Primary School Leaving Certificate and that her Date of Birth was also altered on the same certificate from May 1952 to May 1954.

Karatu had written a petition to the National Judicial Council over Governor Atiku Bagudu’s alleged refusal to confirm her as substantive Chief Judge.

Reacting, the Speaker, in a statement, said: “The attention of the Kebbi State House of Assembly has been drawn to a story circulating in the social media with the title: “Kebbi female Acting Chief Judge petitions National Judicial Council over Governor Bagudu’s refusal to confirm her for being Christian.

“In it, it was alleged that the Kebbi State House of Assembly had written to the Kebbi State Governor confirming Justice Asabe Karatu as Chief Judge of Kebbi State on January 17th, 2019. This is not correct. There was never such a communication.

“The Kebbi State Governor, Senator Abubakar A. Bagudu, wrote to the House on June 02, 2018 appointing Justice Asabe Karatu as Chief Judge and seeking the confirmation of the House as required by the constitution. Justice Asabe Karatu was invited by the House on August 1, 2018.

“During the confirmation hearing, which Justice Karatu attended in the company of some Higher Court Judges, it was observed by honourable members that the Primary School Leaving Certificate presented by Justice Karatu was altered severally, including alteration to the date of birth from May 1952 to May 1954. Justice Karatu accepted that she was aware of the alterations but that they were done by the Headmaster.

“On account of the alterations and other inconsistencies in her credentials, the House rejected the request by the governor and declined to confirm her as Chief Judge of Kebbi State.

“Subsequently, and on three other occasions, the governor wrote and sought her confirmation. On all the occasions, the House maintained its refusal to confirm Justice Asabe Karatu as the Chief Judge of Kebbi State on account of the alterations and inconsistencies with the last of such rejection made by the House on May 15, 2019.”

The statement added: “For the record, under our Constitution, it is the House of Assembly and not the governor that has the power to confirm a chief judge.

“At no time did the House, at plenary or an Executive session, confirm the appointment of Justice Karatu as claimed in the social media story. The purported letter mentioned in the story said to be from the House of Assembly addressed to the governor was never written by the Kebbi State House of Assembly.

“The Kebbi State House of Assembly condemns the story in its entirety and there is no truth to allegation of religion as an issue in Kebbi State.”

 

SHARE THIS STORY

God will expose you – Fani-Kayode reveals how Gov. Bagudu stopped confirmation of ‘Christian’ Chief Judge

NEWS

God will expose you – Fani-Kayode reveals how Gov. Bagudu stopped confirmation of ‘Christian’ Chief Judge

Femi Fani-Kayode, former Minister of Aviation has revealed the reason behind non-confirmation of acting Chief Judge, Justice Esther Kataru, as the substantive Chief Judge of Kebbi State by Governor Atiku Bagudu.

We had reported that the Kebbi Acting Chief Judge petitioned the National Judicial Commission, NJC, over Bagudu’s alleged refusal to confirm her as chief judge.

But, reacting Gov. Bagudu while swearing in Justice Suleiman Ambursa as Acting Chief Judge of the state said that Kataru’s appointment was not confirmed due to alleged alteration of her date of birth and primary school certificate.

However, Fani-Kayode in a series of posts on his Twitter page on Sunday accused Gov. Bagudu of being behind the news of fake primary school certificate allegation against Karatu.

Describing Bagudu as a ‘religious bigot and misogynist’, Fani-Kayode said Bagudu pressurized the Speaker of the State House of Assembly to reject Kataru after the State Judicial Council had selected her and recommended her for confirmation.

The former minister wrote: “I have just spoken to the former Acting Chief Judge of Kebbi state, Justice Asabe Karatu and I confirm that what Gov. Atiku Bagudu did to her was utterly shameful. The allegation that she has a fake primary school certificate is false and she has since proved it.

“It was a lie cooked up by the Governor who pressurized the Speaker of the State House of Assembly to reject her after the State Judicial Council had selected her and recommended her for confirmation.

“Even the State House of Assembly itself later did a U-turn and offered to confirm her but the Governor again stopped them from doing so and quickly swore someone else in.

“Karatu has been in the state civil service for 38 years. She served diligently and with integrity. She is a pride to her Zuru people and to Kebbi state generally. Yet Atiku Bagudu wants to destroy her career and ruin her life all because she is a Christian and he is hell-bent on controlling the state judiciary.

“Bagudu has not appointed one Christian as either a Commissioner or Permanent Secretary since he became Governor of Kebbi. All that and he expects us to believe that he has no problem with Christians.

“The man is a religious bigot and a misogynist who wishes to control everything and everyone around him.I have a message for him: you have used your earthly power to destroy others but the God that we serve will expose you. shame you and vindicate Asabe Kataru.

“You will not be Governor forever and you will not escape his wrath. One day He will call you to account and you will pay for the wickedness and evil persecution that you have subjected his children to.”

 

SHARE THIS STORY

5 Killed As Gunmen Attack Kebbi

​BREAKING NEWS

5 Killed As Gunmen Attack Kebbi

Five people have been confirmed dead as bandits attacked Bena, a town in Danko-Wasagu local government area of Kebbi State.

The state Commissioner of Police, Kabiru Ibrahim confirmed the incident to journalists in the state on Tuesday.

He said 11 of the bandits, 10 of who are Zamfara indigenes and one from Kebbi had been arrested.

He said “The bandits invaded the Kebbi town to carry out their attack on border villages at Bena district two days after they had attacked Kaboro, a village bordering Kebbi and Zamfara states.

“However, 11 of the bandits, 10 of who are Zamfara indigenes and one from Kebbi had been arrested.

“The suspects are; Lawal Ibrahim, Nasiru Lawali, Yahaya Mohammed, Haliru Shantali, Hussaini Hamisu, Mohammed Nuhu, Habibu Sani, Rilwanu Mohammed, Mohammed Sanusi, Mohammed Bara’u and Abubakar Haruna.”

Ibrahim added that the command had deployed police mobile force, SARS, Safer High Way Patrol teams and a surveillance team to the affected areas to checkmate the activities of the bandits.

                                                  

Please Share This Post