Kano Governorship: Appeal Courts Fix Dates To Commence Hearings

The Appeal Court sitting in Abuja, has fixed Monday November 6, 2023 for hearing of the Appeal filed by Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf challenging the nullification of his election by the Kano Election Petition Tribunal.

The notice of the suit with case no: CA/KN/EP/GOV/KAN/34/2023 is slated for hearing as Counsels to both parties fully prepared for the legal tussle.

Parties in the suit included Governor Yusuf and his party the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) as well as the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

It could be recalled that on September 20, 2023, the Kano Governorship Election Petition Tribunal had nullified the election of Mr Yusuf by declaring 165,663 of his votes invalid, saying they were not signed or stamped by INEC.

INEC had declared Mr Yusuf winner of the March 18, 2023 election after he secured 1,019,602 votes against his opponent Nasiru Gawuna who secured 890,705 votes.

However, after the tribunal deducted the 165,663 votes from Mr Yusuf’s tally, his votes were reduced to 853, 939, which were over 30,000 votes less than the 890,705 votes polled by Mr Gawuna.

Consequently, the court declared the APC candidate winner of the governorship election and ordered the INEC to withdraw Mr Yusuf’s certificate of return and give Gawuna a new one.

But Mr Yusuf and his party the NNPP as well as the INEC have since appealed the tribunal’s Judgement wishing to be upturned in their favor.