How Katsina NCP chairman was sent to prison over press briefing on election

Abulmumini SheuSani, chairman of the National Conscience Party (NCP) in Katsina state, is currently in prison over a press conference he held on the tribunal verdict on the election of Aminu Masari, governor of Katsina.

He was arraigned in court over allegations of defamation of character, injurious falsehood and inciting disaffection to the government punishable under section 392,393 and 416 of the penal code.

The police had told a magistrate’s court that the charges filed against Shehusani followed a complaint by the governor that the NCP chairman defamed him at the press conference.

The NCP chairman had called for a high-level investigation into the circumstances surrounding the tribunal’s verdict.

He had alleged that some members of the tribunal might have been compromised before the verdict was given.

At the first trial, Chukwuemeka Kalu, counsel to Shehusani, argued that one of the charges of inciting disaffection to the government is tied to sedition under section 416 of the penal code which the court cannot entertain.

He said the first information report before the court is therefore incompetent and cannot be heard until such charge is amended.

But Joshua Bande, the prosecution counsel, asked the court to discountenance the argument for lacking substance.

He said the accused was not being charged with sedition but inciting disaffection to the government.

In his ruling Nura Abdullahi, the chief magistrate, asked the accused to be remanded in the facility.

However, at the resumed trial on Monday, the police replaced the former first information report containing the initial charges with a new one.

The new report contained charges of defamation of character, injurious falsehood and cyberstalking.

The charges were brought under sections 368 and 369 of criminal code of Kaduna state, 2019 and section 24 of cybercrime prohibition, prevention act, 2015.

The chief magistrate directed that Shehusani should be in the facility until the date he would give a ruling on whether his court had the power to grant him bail or not.