Group Raises Alarm Over Moves To Thwart Cause Of Justice In Katsina 

Reacting to the case of Senator Bello Mandiya of Katsina State, who contested and won the 2019 senatorial election while allegedly under the employment of the state government, the group expressed fear that the future of democracy in the state might be bleak.

The group’s Director of Public Communication, Nura Wada gave the warning during a press conference in Kaduna.

According to him, the group as partners in progress, has a duty to inform the public that Senator Mandiya had contested and won the Katsina South Senatorial seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), at the February 2019 presidential and National Assembly elections.

“However, while filling form CFOO1 of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) particularly on page 3 paragraph D(1), Bello Mandiya stated that he voluntarily retired from the civil service in the year 2001.

“To our dismay, the Senator had made the declaration under oath while it is a notorious fact that he was the Chief of Staff at the Government House Katsina as could be seen from his pay slip form the month of February 2019.

“We, from the Arewa Good Governance initiative feel bad that Senator Bello Mandiya had contested and won the election while under the employ of Katsina State Government and therefore, a complaint of false information contrary to section 140 and forgery contrary to section 364 all of the penal code was lodged against him in a Katsina Chief Magistrate Court holden at Funtua.

“The matter was brought to the court by human rights activist, Shehu Dahiru through their counsel in suit number CMC/FT/92DC/19 which sought for a criminal summons to be issued against the Senator.

“We have to raise alarm that there are subtle moves to thwart the cause of justice when a State Counsel from the Ministry of Justice approached the court that they were taking over the case in line with section 211 of the constitution, urging the court not to issue a bench warrant for arrest been sought by the group.

“It’s our believe that democracy should be practiced in its good form and allowing acts that could lead to travesty of justice will not augur well for our fledgling democracy but encourage those negating  democratic principles.

“We heard from good authority that the case is about to be transferred to the State Ministry of Justice. This move is to water down the case and allow the defendant to escape justice.

“We want to put the state Ministry of Justice on notice and the state government also, that we are watching events closely as they unfold,” he said.