Doguwa to Jibrin: Courts cleared me of violence allegations… I came out clean

Alhassan Doguwa, chairman of the house of representatives committee on petroleum resources (downstream), says he was cleared by the courts of allegations of violence against him during the 2023 elections.

Doguwa was detained at the time for allegedly instigating violence in Kano during the election, but the courts vindicated him.

The seventh-term member of the house of representatives is responding to a claim by Abdulmumin Jibrin, a lawmaker from Kano, who said Doguwa has never won a free and fair election.

Jibrin is a New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) member, while Doguwa belongs to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The two politicians have been at loggerheads for days now.

In a statement on Thursday, Doguwa said in clearing him of the charge, the court awarded him N25 million in damages “for unnecessarily harassing me and defaming my innocent character”.

“It was a naked political plot and a baseless machination designed to thwart the will of Allah (SWT) and the wishes of the electorate of T/Wada/Doguwa Federal Constituency of Kano State who have always overwhelmingly voted for me,” the statement reads.

“It’s pretty clear now and on records that I have been cleared. The judgments of three courts of competent jurisdictions declared me innocent of the alleged mischievous allegations against my innocent self.

“A federal high court in Abuja delivered the recent and most exemplary judgment on enforcing my fundamental human rights as a free Nigerian citizen.

“Let me also say categorically that as of today, I, Hon. Alhassan Ado Doguwa, am not standing before any court of law in Nigeria for alleged murder, culpable homicide, or any politically instigated violence being speculated by my detractors or political enemies.

“I went through virtually all criminal investigations and judicial considerations at various levels and came out clean and victoriously innocent.

“Copies of such rigorous police investigations conducted by the highest police investigations authority in the land (the Force Criminal Investigation Department, FCID, Abuja) that cleared me are available for public scrutiny.”

The lawmaker challenged Jibrin to disclose the “secrets” that would lead to his expulsion from the APC.