No fewer than 500 private legal practitioners have offered to render pro bono services to the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate for Kano State, Nasiru Gawuna, at the Supreme Court.
  
The legal practitioners, under the aegis of Guardians of Democracy and Rule of Law, said their decision was aimed at entrenching the tenets of democracy in the country.
  
Led by Joseph Onwudiwe, the lawyers, at a press conference, in Abuja, expressed optimism that Gawuna would emerge triumphant at the apex court, having won at the governorship election petition tribunal and Court of Appeal.
  
They noted: “Nigerians have observed keenly the situation unfolding in Kano regarding the March 18, 2023 governorship election. As a group saddled with the onerous responsibility of safeguarding our democratic ethos and values, we are no longer comfortable with the unwarranted attacks on the judiciary and moves to blackmail the court into backing wanton electoral malfeasance and vote heists.  
  
“We will no longer fold our arms as lawyers and watch the judiciary continuously harangued, and the temple of Justice desecrated by a group of people, who failed to perfect an electoral heist and inflate their votes by over 165,000 in a desperate bid to win the Kano governorship election at all costs.”
  
The lawyers, therefore, called on peace-loving Nigerians to “rise in defence of our cherished democracy from desperate politicians, who are using every illegal means to blackmail the judiciary into giving authenticity to electoral fraud.”

MEANWHILE, Northern Youth Assembly (NYA) has written President Bola Tinubu to be wary of issues concerning the gubernatorial seats in Kano, Zamfara and Plateau states.  
  
NYA is a Northern youth platform with branches in the 19 Northern states and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). It alleged clandestine moves by some members of All Progressives Congress (APC) to snatch the gubernatorial seats from the opposition against the wishes of the people of the states.  
  
A statement signed by the President, Ali Idris; Secretary-General, Garba Abdulhafiz and National Publicity Secretary, Adikwu Joshua said though the moves were in favour of the President, there might be serious consequences. 
  
In the letter dated December 4, 2023 and addressed to the President, the youths stated that they deemed it necessary to send the letter, having keenly observed the unfolding political intrigues in Kano, Zamfara and Plateau states, which, if not tackled with care and spirit of fairness, could jeopardise the peace and stability in the North.

“The plot to remove the current governors of those three states is allegedly orchestrated by your party’s national chairman and his cronies, without minding the consequences that would befall the concerned states, economically, politically and security-wise.
  
“Your Excellency, this ugly development is strongly alleged to be a strategic plan in your favour geared towards 2027 election, considering the cumulative votes from those three states that belong to opposition parties,” the youth said in the letter, adding that Nigeria is already boiling following the sudden removal of fuel subsidy, a decision Tinubu took unilaterally.