‘Supreme Court judges took bribes to validate Yar'Adua/Jonathan election'

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7 March 2011

‘Supreme Court judges took bribes to validate Yar'Adua/Jonathan election'

We had just had elections in 2007 that, by most accounts, were possibly worst ever, and the legitimacy of the presidential poll that the authorities had declared won by Umaru Yar'Adua and his running mate, Goodluck Jonathan, hung in the balance.

Justices of our Supreme Court, the final arbiters of the disputed election, immediately became the objects of affection of interested politicians, who proceeded to shower them with cash to make sure they confirmed the legitimacy of the election of Messrs Yar'Adua and Jonathan, according to secret US diplomatic cables leaked to the whistleblower site Wikileaks and made available to NEXT.

According to the cables, filed to Washington by then US ambassador to Abuja, Robin Sanders, the source of this information was none other than the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole.

Following a two-hour meeting with Mr. Bankole on May 5, 2009, Ms. Sanders filed a report to the US State Department in which she said the House Speaker told her he had proof that the venerable justices were bought and paid for with cash supplied by the former governor of Delta State, James Ibori.