Revealed! Why Court of Appeal Sacked Kano Governor
….‘It can’t stand’ — NNPP Vows to challenge appeal verdict
….‘Triumph of people’s wish’ — APC
The Court of Appeal in Abuja has nullified the election of Governor Abba Yusuf of Kano State in the March 18 governorship election.
A three-member panel of justices led by Justice Moore A. Adumein upheld the appeal of Nasir Yusuf Gawuna of the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The panel held that Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) was not a registered member of the party and, therefore, not qualified to contest the election.
The panel held that every political party shall maintain the register of its members as provided in Section 77 of the Electoral Act, 2022.
The court said the appellant to his own detriment did not submit his NNPP membership registrar or even tendered his statement on oath regarding his membership of the party.
The court said the 1999 Constitution made it mandatory for a political party to have a membership register and submit the same to INEC and the Tribunal when needed.
“As rightfully found, Yusuf Abba was not a member of the NNPP at the time he was purportedly sponsored by his party and he was not qualified to contest the March Governorship Election,” Justice Adumein said.
The Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal had declared Gawuna winner of the March 18 election.
The tribunal on September 20 overturned the Independent National Electronic Electoral Commission (INEC)’s announcement of Yusuf with 1,019,602 votes against Gawuna’s 890,705 votes following APC’s petition
The APC had alleged electoral malpractices.
In nullifying the election, the tribunal agreed with the APC that over 160,000 ballot papers “were not signed or stamped by INEC.”
Yusuf’s votes were subsequently reduced by 165,663 to 853,939 while Ganuwa’s 890,705 votes were not affected.
‘It can’t stand’ — NNPP to challenge appeal court verdict sacking Abba Yusuf
The New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) says it will explore all legal means to reclaim its mandate in Kano state.
Oladipupo Olayoku, the NNPP spokesperson, told Salient Times that the party would “pursue the matter to a logical conclusion”.
In a judgement delivered on Friday, the court of appeal in Abuja affirmed the verdict of the state governorship election petition tribunal sacking Abba Yusuf, NNPP candidate, as governor of the kano.
A three-member panel of the appellate court held that the NNPP breached the constitution by sponsoring Yusuf, who was not a member of the party when the election was held.
The court held that Yusuf’s name was not in any of the membership registers of the NNPP tendered before the tribunal — a contravention of section 177(c) of the 1999 Constitution.
While speaking on the NNPP’s next line of action over the ruling, Olayoku said the party would open an appeal at the supreme court.
“That kind of judgement can not stand. Once the supreme court opens, we will file our appeal. No going back,” Olayoku said.
“We will pursue the matter to the logical conclusion.”
‘Triumph of people’s wish’ — APC applauds appeal court verdict sacking Abba Yusuf
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has praised the appeal court judgment that affirmed the sack of Abba Yusuf, candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), as governor of Kano.
Reacting to the judgement in a statement on Friday, Muhammad Garba, the national vice-chairman (north-west) of the APC, said the court verdict is a reflection of the will of the people.
Garba added that the judgment also shows the acceptability of the APC in the north-west.
“I hail the decision of the appellate court, which has manifested Allah’s divine providence for Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna to be confirmed as the duly elected governor of Kano state,” the statement reads.
“By upholding the verdict of the tribunal and setting aside the issues brought by the appellant, the ruling marks the culmination of a long and arduous legal battle that had gripped the state for months.
“It must be emphasized that this judgement is a triumph for the wish of the good people of Kano state which validates their mandate to Dr Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna and his deputy, Alhaji Murtala Sule Garo, and a relief from the vindictive and malicious destruction of the Ganduje legacies by the ousted NNPP government.
“Finally, I applaud the judiciary for their unwavering commitment to always remain on the side of justice.”
