The Human and Environmental Development Agenda (HEDA Resource Centre) has petitioned the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, demanding an investigation into comments made by Rabiu Kwankwaso regarding the alleged visits to Supreme Court Justices during the legal dispute arising from the 2019 Kano State governorship election.

In a petition filed by Chairman Suraju Olanrewaju, the group expressed concern over media reports quoting Kwankwaso as saying that he took then-governorship candidate, and now Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Abba Yusuf, to meet Supreme Court Justices in their villages and towns during the pendency of the case before the Supreme Court.

HEDA noted that while political actors are entitled to pursue their cases through lawful legal processes, any suggestion of private engagement with judicial officers outside officially recognised legal channels could undermine public confidence in the independence and impartiality of the judiciary.

The organisation stressed that the allegation, if left unaddressed, could create negative public perception about the integrity of the administration of justice, particularly as the dispute was eventually resolved by the Supreme Court in January 2020, which affirmed the outcome of the election.