A retired Justice of Nigeria’s Supreme Court, Hon. Justice Ejembi Eko, has issued a blistering rebuttal to claims by former Kano State governor and national leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, that he visited the homes of Supreme Court justices to influence the outcome of the 2019 Kano governorship election.
In a statement released to Law & Society Magazine, Justice Eko described the allegation—as it relates to him—as “false and preposterous,” flatly denying that Kwankwaso or Abba Yusuf, now Kano State governor, ever visited him or had any form of contact with him at any time.
Kwankwaso had recently claimed that after the 2019 election was declared inconclusive, he personally took Yusuf to the homes of all Supreme Court justices, alleging that they met the justices “in their villages and towns” to plead their case.
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Justice Eko, who retired from the apex court on May 23, 2022, said he was a serving Justice of the Supreme Court at the material time, but was never approached, formally or informally, by either man.
“I have never, in my lifetime, met either Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso or Abba Yusuf anywhere,” the retired justice said. “I have never had any form of contact with either of these two characters.”
He further clarified that he did not sit on any Supreme Court panel that heard appeals arising from the 2019 Kano governorship dispute, distancing himself entirely from both the political actors and the litigation process.
Call for Criminal Investigation
Beyond denying the allegation, Justice Eko escalated the matter by formally inviting the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, relevant security agencies, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to investigate what he described as a self-incriminating confession by Kwankwaso.
According to the retired justice, the claim—if true—would amount to an attempt to pervert the course of justice, a serious criminal offence under Nigerian law.
“The Attorney-General’s office and the relevant security agencies… are hereby invited to thoroughly investigate the confession of Mr Kwankwaso: that in 2019, he actively and criminally engaged himself in a conduct to pervert the course of justice,” Justice Eko said.
He added that he was prepared to cooperate fully with any investigation “for the truth and justice to prevail.”
Judiciary Under Renewed Scrutiny
The intervention by Justice Eko comes amid heightened public debate over the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral justice system, following years of politically charged election disputes and sharply divided court rulings.
Kwankwaso’s remarks have drawn criticism from legal observers who warn that unguarded political statements risk further eroding public confidence in the judiciary—already strained by allegations of politicisation and inconsistent jurisprudence.
Justice Eko’s response, however, was carefully framed. While categorical about his own conduct, he did not claim to speak for other justices, nor did he attempt to resolve the broader question of whether improper approaches were made elsewhere.
Instead, his statement places the burden squarely on investigators to determine whether Kwankwaso’s account was reckless political rhetoric or an admission of criminal interference.
Political Fallout
The controversy unfolds against the backdrop of ongoing political realignments in Kano, where Abba Yusuf’s governorship—first contested in 2019 and later won in 2023—has remained at the centre of intense legal and political battles.
With two retired Supreme Court justices now publicly distancing themselves from Kwankwaso’s claims, pressure is mounting on authorities to clarify whether the remarks will be treated as mere political hyperbole or a matter demanding formal accountability.
For Nigeria’s democracy, the stakes are high: few allegations cut deeper than claims that the country’s highest court was lobbied behind closed doors.
The full statement reads:
My attention has just been drawn to the claim by the former Governor of Kano State and the Leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso: that in 2019 he “took Abba Yusuf to the homes of all Supreme Court Justices to beg them”; and that he, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and Abba Yusuf met the Supreme Court Justices “in their villages and towns”.
The statement, as it pertains to my person and integrity, is false and preposterous. I was a serving Justice of the Supreme Court at the material time. I was at no time visited by Messrs Kwankwaso or Yusuf for any reason or purpose whatever.
I have never, in my lifetime, met either Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso or Abba Yusuf anywhere. I have never had any form of contact with either of these two characters.
I was not in the Supreme Court panel(s) that heard any appeal(s) pertaining to the 2019 Kano State governorship election dispute.
The Attorney-General’s office and the relevant security agencies, including the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), are hereby invited to thoroughly investigate the confession of Mr Kwankwaso: that in 2019, he actively and criminally engaged himself in a conduct to pervert the course of justice. I hereby undertake to cooperate, in whatever ways I am required, in the investigation for the truth and justice to prevail.
JUSTICE EJEMBI EKO, JSC (rtd.)
