BREAKING: Appeal Court Sacks Kano Governor Abba Yusuf

Eko Hot Blog reports that the court of appeal in Abuja has affirmed the order of the Kano state governorship election petition tribunal which sacked Abba Yusuf, candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), as governor of the state.

The panel upheld the Tribunal’s verdict led by Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay, which sacked Yusuf on September 20, 2023.

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It would be recalled that in the Independent National Electronic Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Yusuf of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) the winner  with 1,019,602 votes, surpassing Nasiru Gawuna’s 890,705 votes in the march 18 governorship election in the state.

However, the All Progressives Congress (APC) took the matter to the Tribunal, alleging electoral malpractice.

Subsequently, a three-man panel, including Justice Oluyemi Akintan Osadebay, along with two other judges, removed Yusuf from office on September 20, 2023, after declaring 165,663 of his votes invalid due to the lack of signatures or stamps from the Independent National Electoral Commission.

As a result, the governor’s votes were reduced to 853,939, while Ganuwa’s 890,705 votes remained. Yusuf immediately rejected the Tribunal’s decision, calling it “unfair” and “a miscarriage of justice,” and appealed the ruling.

Wole Olanipekun, SAN, lead for Yusuf, asked the court of appeal to set aside Tribunal’s judgement.

Kicking against the ruling on ballot papers, the senior lawyer said that was the first time in history that a tribunal would annul an election over non-signing of the back of ballot papers.

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He said the Tribunal erred, stressing it was also the first time that a political party would file a matter without joining its candidate as a party in the petition, and the candidate was declared winner of the polls.

But Akin Olujimi SAN, counsel for APC, countered him, saying the Appeal Court stated emphatically that the non-signing of ballots amounted to electoral malpractice.

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