Adoke denies funding anti-election lawsuits

Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Adoke

The Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mr. Mohammed Adoke (SAN) has denied funding anti-election lawsuits.

The AGF, who stated this in a statement in Abuja on Friday by his Senior Special Assistant, Mr. Peter Akper (SAN), faulted an article published in an online news medium that he was secretly funding anti-election lawsuits through his cronies.

The statement said that the article sought to portray the attorney-general as the person actively working with other people (named and unnamed) to scuttle the forthcoming elections through the filing of frivolous lawsuits.

It stated, “What is even more preposterous was the assertion that “the Attorney-General had received and was solely managing the disbursement of a war chest of N2bn provided by President Jonathan to enable him to recruit a retinue of groups to file lawsuits aimed at further postponement of the elections, their termination, or the disqualification of Muhammadu Buhari, the main opposition candidate.”

The AGF’s aide said after reading the article he initially dismissed “it as a mere tale emanating from the fertile imagination.”

He stated, “Upon deep reflection and the unfortunate trust deficit that pervades the polity, I decided to confront the Attorney-General who incidentally is my boss, colleague and confidant.”

According to him, his relationship with Adoke shows that the minister cannot be associated with such lawsuits.

Akper stated, “I wish to categorically state from my vantage position that these allegations are not only false, but are designed to harass, distract and intimidate the attorney -general from discharging his duties.

“ Let Nigerians be assured that the Attorney-General of the Federation remains committed to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections and within the time frame clearly stipulated in the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 and the Electoral Act, as amended.”

“Mr. Mohammed Bello Adoke, is very conscious of the ethical and professional demands of his high office and his constitutional responsibility as ‘Guardian’ of the Constitution and has demonstrated this time and again in the discharge of his duties.”

Akper said Adoke was one public officer that has the moral conviction and courage to speak the truth at all times in the defence of national interest no matter whose ox is gored.

The senior special assistant stated, “Aware of his place in history and the experiences of his predecessors in office, Mr. Adoke has refrained from partisanship and has not allowed it to becloud his sense of judgment.

“It was this strength of character that prompted him to disassociate himself from the affidavit that was supposedly deposed to on his behalf, by a Staff of the Federal Ministry of Justice without his authority and knowledge of its contents.”