Sola Ojo, Kaduna
The senatorial candidate for Kaduna Central in the February 2019 election on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Lawal Adamu Usman, popularly known as Mr LA, has raised the alarm over threat to his life and that of his family.
His media aide, Suleiman Abdul-azeez, told newsmen in Kaduna in Sunday about the threat to his principal’s life and his supporters by thugs suspected to have been sent by his opponents in that election.
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Lead counsel to Mr LA in the petition challenging the result of the election at Kaduna State Senatorial Elections Petitions Tribunal, Ustaz Yunus Usman (SAN), at the last sitting on Saturday, had also alerted the judges that he was questioned by security agents who claimed to have been acting on a petition by the state government and lawyer to candidate of All Progressives Congress, Sen Uba Sani, on how he obtained certain documents showing whether he (Uba Sani) resigned before election.
According to the lawyer, “I am not surprise at all with what happened in court on Saturday because as early as 5 am on that day, some people were calling me and hiding their phone number. They were threatening that if I made a mistake of going to court that day, I would not come back alive. So, I challenged them that if they are the owner of that life, they should come and take it.
“So, when we were at the tribunal, a senior lawyer from my team was coming in and observed that some thugs came in in a Golf car with weapons. When he told me that, I reported back to the tribunal who confirmed it. I also went to see them. The tribunal quickly called on the security agents, and they drove away.
“But, I’m used to this thing. I started (appearing at) election tribunal since 1983. And I can tell you that nobody can take my life until God calls me home. And if at all someone takes my life and I enter paradise, is that not better for me? Nobody can intimidate me,” he said.
“The state government and lawyer to Uba Sani wrote a petition against me to the Commissioner of Police that I should be asked how I got the document that I want to tender (showing) that Uba Sani did not resign before he contested the election.
“I wrote a statement, and they gave me a self bail and I had to report it to the tribunal. The tribunal then made an order that nobody should be harassed pending the determination of the motion on notice. When that happened, my client became so scared that he refused to come to court until the court made that order,” he added.
At the resumed hearing on Saturday, June 29, at which the petitioner, Mr LA, was personally present, suspicious persons were allegedly noticed within the premises of the Kaduna State High Court venue of the tribunal.
Confirming the lawyer’s position, Suleiman said: “The DSS operatives drafted to the tribunal also confirmed the suspicious presence of unfriendly persons around the premises and said they were in control of the situation.
“At the close of the hearing, the thugs who turned out to be dangerously armed pounced on the petitioner as he was leaving the courtroom. It took the concerted effort of the security and the petitioner’s supporters to save him from imminent assault.
Recounting his ordeal, Mr LA said, his life was currently under threat but vowed not to be intimidated to dump his struggle to reclaim the people’s mandate through legal means.