Kano: Supreme Court Reserves Judgment on Governor Yusuf’s Appeal
The Supreme Court, on Thursday, reserved judgment on Governor Abba Yusuf’s appeal to overturn the nullification of his election, Excel Magazine International reports.
A five-member panel, led by Justice Inyang Okoro, approved the case for judgment after all parties adopted their briefs.
Recall that the Kano State Governorship Election Petitions Tribunal, in a virtual ruling on September 20, invalidated Yusuf’s election, declaring Nasiru Gawuna of the APC as the rightful winner. The tribunal, led by Justice Oluyemi Akintan-Osadebay, invalidated 165,663 votes, reducing Yusuf’s initial tally from 1,019,602 to 853,939 votes.
Governor Yusuf contested the decision at the Court of Appeal, which on November 17 upheld the tribunal’s verdict. The appellate court stated that Yusuf was not a valid candidate, citing evidence that he was not an NNPP member during the election.
Justice M. U. Adumeh, delivering the lead judgment, emphasized the constitutional requirement for a candidate to be a party member. The court declared Yusuf’s participation without valid sponsorship a “mere nullity” and imposed a N1 million cost.
Despite controversy over a clerical error in the certified true copy, the Court of Appeal affirmed the judgment sacking Governor Yusuf and declaring Gawuna the valid winner.
